Foreign voters in Guro seek economic revival but lack candidate awareness

“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 r

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