President promises better voting system for citizens abroad
NEW YORK — President Lee Jae Myung on Monday pledged to bolster South Korea’s global standing after his predecessor's abrupt declaration of martial law late last year.
“It is time to return to normalcy and take off once again,” Lee said during a meeting with overseas Koreans in New York Monday. “I will build a Republic of Korea in which overseas Koreans — living not only on our soil but across the world — can proudly and confidently say they are citizens of Korea.”
Lee praised the achievements of South Koreans, noting that few nations emerging from colonial rule have managed both industrial growth and democratic governance.
“Our people are truly great. Among nations liberated from colonial rule, the Republic of Korea is the only one that has not only achieved successful industrialization but also established democracy,” he said.
The president added that South Korea has regained its place on the world stage.
“Though the world was briefly concerned, Korea has returned as an exemplary democracy, a cultural powerhouse, and a strong nation both militarily and economically,” Lee said.
The president also reaffirmed his push to ease restrictions on overseas Koreans willing to exercise their right to cast a vote.
At the meeting with some 300 Koreans, Lee said that he would certainly improve the current voting system, as overseas Koreans' voting often involves long travel to a designated polling station.
"From those who spent two days and a night voting to those who paid hundreds of dollars for a flight ticket and flew for hours to vote, and those who gave up voting because they couldn't, there were so many people who felt frustrated to learn that they could not exercise their power as citizens," Lee said.
"I will certainly improve the voting system so that citizens, including overseas Koreans, can properly exercise their power as South Korean citizens regardless of where they are in the world."
His remarks followed a recent confirmation of a five-year blueprint that called for a revision of the Referendum Act to ensure legal clarity on the issue. A Constitutional Court ruling in 2014 found it unconstitutional to prevent overseas Koreans from voting in a referendum if they failed to make residence reports at home and register themselves as voters.
The Lee administration has floated the constitutional amendment over the presidential term limit, with the possibility of holding a referendum — required for an amendment — in 2026 or 2028.
Over 7 million people are estimated to be overseas Koreans across the world. Those who hold Korean citizenship can vote in presidential and general elections.
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