GNP mulls ethnic minority candidate

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is considering nominating a naturalized Korean in the list of candidates to run in the parliamentary elections slated for April on the proportional representation system.

A GNP strategist said the emergency committee is mulling nominating Jasmin Lee, 35, a migrant woman originally from the Philippines, for the slot as a representative of migrant women.

He added the decision has yet to be finalized.

If Lee, a civil servant working with the Seoul Global Center, is nominated and is chosen as a lawmaker, she will be the first naturalized Korean-turned-legislator.

In previous elections, parties selected migrant women to run in the National Assembly elections on the proportional representation system but none of them was selected.

In 2008, a minor Renewal of Korea Party, which was founded by former Yuhan Kimberly chief executive officer Moon Kook-hyun, nominated a Filipino woman on the proportional representation system.

Parties came to consider ethnic minority candidates as citizens given the rapid rise in multicultural background especially since 2000.

Over 1 million foreigners, both those who reside here temporarily and those who have permanent residence combined, live in this country.

Lee told The Korea Times that she didn’t get a phone call from the GNP regarding the candidacy offer. She stopped short of expressing her intent to run in the elections, citing her position as a civil servant.

In the Seoul Global Center, Lee helps foreign residents adjust to Korea.

She has lived in Seoul for 17 years after marrying her Korean husband, a sailor, in 1995. Her husband passed away two years ago.

Lee dropped out of a medical school in the Philippines before meeting her husband.

She became famous after she appeared on a movie, dubbed “Wandeuki” which was released last year. She acted as the mother of the lead actor.

The movie became a box office hit, drawing 5.3 million moviegoers.