By Jane Han
NEW YORK — Kim Bong-nam always thought voting was more a chore than a privilege. But not anymore — not since he moved to the U.S. and no longer had an official say in Korean politics.
“It’s funny how the sense of feeling deprived kicks in when you know you can’t do something,” says Kim, who left his hometown Incheon for New York just over a decade ago.
For Kim and some 2.7 million overseas Koreans, next spring is when the days of deprivation ends.
Starting with the general elections in April 2012, Korean nationals living abroad will be allowed to cast ballots, as part of a revised election law in 2009.
The new law grants voting rights to overseas residents aged 19 and older, as long as they still retain Korean citizenship
In the U.S. alone, an estimated 870,000 Koreans are eligible to vote, taking up 38 percent of overseas voters, according to the National Election Commission (NEC).
How many will actually hit the polls? It’s a tough guess, but one survey hints at a pretty good turnout.
More than 60 percent of 700 Korean residents in California said they will vote in the upcoming general elections, according to a poll conducted by Kyonggi University Graduate School of Politics and Policy.
Some critics say the figure is too rosy, but one thing for sure is that the Korean community is welcoming the historic opportunity.
Korean associations big and small echo that voting for the country’s next leaders will give a sense of belonging and connection to many Koreans living abroad.
“This new privilege is a big deal especially for the elderly who immigrated decades ago. There’s something emotional about it,” said an official of the Korean-American Association of Greater New York.
But the change comes with concerns, some of which may directly impact the outcome.
For example, loose campaign monitoring overseas may lead to illegal activities so the NEC preemptively slapped a general ban on rallies and meetings that can potentially influence the election.
Also, the limited number of polling stations may discourage voters from casting their ballots. The current system requires voters to visit a polling station, but observers are skeptical whether people will take time off to visit a polling location that may be hours away.
“There will be many trial and error lessons we’ll have to learn from, but all of that is necessary in order to get to the next step. At the end of the day, we need wisdom to look beyond that,” said Paul Kim, a member of the Korean-American Federation of Los Angeles.