Foreign voters in Guro seek economic revival but lack candidate awareness

Kim Bun-ok, an ethnic Korean from China and permanent resident of Korea, poses at her side dish store in Guro District, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Park Ung

Ahead of the June 3 local elections, Kim Bun-ok, an ethnic Korean from China and permanent resident living in southwestern Seoul's Guro District, has a lot on her mind.

“I'm not sure who to vote for, but I definitely plan to vote,” the 66-year-old side dish shop owner told The Korea Times, Wednesday.

Kim is among a fast-growing pool of foreign eligible voters, a number that has tripled from 48,428 in 2014 to 151,532 this year, according to the National Election Commission. Unlike presidential and parliamentary elections, foreign residents aged 18 or older are eligible to vote in local elections three years after obtaining an F-5 permanent residency visa.

Among all 25 districts in Seoul, Guro District leads with 6,736 eligible foreign voters, reflecting its large population of Chinese nationals and ethnic Koreans from China. On the ground, however, foreign voters The Korea Times spoke with last week knew little about the district chief candidates and their platforms.

However, they were united in calling for the revival of the regional economy, which in part is a national-level issue rather than a district-level one.

Chinese restaurants and grocery stores line a street in Guro District, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Park Ung

“The economy is really bad. Shops are putting up 'for rent' signs one by one,” Kim said.

She said a crackdown on undocumented immigrants had gutted the local commercial strip. “It's not wrong to round up people who come to another country and break the law, but this has gone on so long that business in the area has died. There are fewer than half the people there used to be.”

Kim added that the foreign health insurance premium, which costs her about 150,000 ($100) won a month, was too expensive.

Oh, another permanent resident and ethnic Korean from China, echoed Kim's concerns, citing the crackdown's toll on local business and the burden of the foreign health insurance premium.

“I plan to vote, though I haven't decided on anyone yet. Whoever becomes district chief, I'm hoping the economy gets better,” said the 62-year-old, who asked to be identified only by her surname.

For some in the neighborhood, naturalization has brought a different perspective about who local policy is meant to serve. “I have Korean citizenship now, so policies for foreign nationals are no longer my concern,” said Park, a naturalized citizen from China, now in her early 40s.

Song Sun-seop, a Korean resident of the district for 43 years, said the Chinese community here has little stake in district-level races.

“Unless it's a presidential election, they're not interested in Korean politics,” the 70-year-old barbershop owner said. “What the president says can shape relations with China. But most know little about the district chief.”

Song added that most foreign residents in the area leave for work at around 4 a.m. and do not return until around 7 p.m., leaving little time to keep up with local politics.

Campaign banners for Guro District chief candidates hang in Guro District, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Park Ung.

Candidates' pledges

Jang In-hong, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Guro District chief, stressed that foreign residents are legitimate constituents entitled to full local government services.

“I will position foreign residents not as mere policy targets but as community partners,” Jang said in a written interview with The Korea Times. He added that foreign resident policy must extend beyond multicultural events to all areas of Guro's administration, welfare, economy and public safety.

Jang pledged to expand on-site services such as the Korean-Chinese interpretation already available at community centers, saying language barriers should not stand between foreign residents and administrative services. He also said top-down policymaking is ill-suited to a community as diverse as Guro's, where residents vary widely in nationality, visa status and needs, pledging to ensure their voices are reflected in district administration.

The opposition candidate struck a similar tone. Hong Deok-hee of the People Power Party said foreign residents are full members of the community who deserve more precise, day-to-day administration.

“When basic services are tight, such as multilingual assistance for residents, housing, labor and education support, the inconvenience and misunderstanding among both Korean and foreign residents are reduced,” Hong said.

He pledged to establish regular dialogue with foreign residents to address recurring quality-of-life issues, and vowed to protect them from discrimination and rights violations. On education, Hong said children with multicultural backgrounds should not start at a disadvantage because of language and information barriers, pledging to build the necessary educational infrastructure.