ABOUT 120,000 foreign residents in South Korea are expected to be eligible to vote in the upcoming June 1 local elections.
With the numbers at a record-high, their support is now being sought after by political parties and candidates contesting in the polls.
According to a Korea Times report, the local elections are the only chance for non-Korean nationals to express their opinions on issues.
However, government data showed that previous turnouts indicate the voters are becoming less enthusiastic about voting in the elections.
Following the revision to the Public Official Election Act in August 2005, foreign nationals who have resided in South Korea for three or more years after obtaining permanent residency can vote in local elections.
This made South Korea the first Asian country that allowed non-citizen residents to vote. But foreign nationals are not allowed to vote in elections choosing the president or parliament members.
The National Election Commission data showed that the number of eligible immigrant voters stood at 6,726 in 2006, and increased steadily to 12,875 in 2010, 48,428 in 2014, and surged to 106,205 in 2018.
But turnout fell from 35.2 per cent in 2010 to 16.7 per cent in 2014 and 13.5 per cent in 2018.
According to a National Human Rights Commission of Korea report published in November 2018, most of these voters did not even know they were eligible to vote, partially explaining why the turnouts have been low.
Experts said that among the various reasons for the falling voter turnout was due to a low sense of belonging to the Korean society.
"Even foreigners who decide to settle in South Korea permanently do not feel that they are respected as equal members of the society like South Korean nationals," Yoon In-jin, head of the Korean International Migrant Studies Association, told The Korea Times.
An anti-immigrant sentiment among some South Koreans may have also played a role in the low sense of belonging to South Korean society as felt by permanent residents of foreign nationality.
In May last year, a public petition was also posted on the presidential website demanding the government strip foreign residents of voting rights.
This came amid escalating anti-China sentiment among South Koreans and apparently targeted Chinese nationals, who account for about 80 per cent of eligible immigrant voters.
Yoon said permanent residents were selected based on their willingness to contribute to South Korean society.
"Taking away their suffrage, which is currently guaranteed to a minimum level, does not seem appropriate in a democratic country," Yoon said.
He suggested that the foreign community, in cooperation with the government, establish an organisation representing immigrant electorates, in order to encourage more people to vote.
Seoul Global Center (SGC) former chief Paul Carver said foreigners were becoming less interested in voting due to limited access to information about candidates and their pledges. SGC was established to support foreign residents in the capital.
"It is hard to find information about campaign promises in various languages, making it difficult for voters to determine which candidates have favorable policies for foreign residents," he said.
He suggested that providing a brief summary identifying each party's policies and how they would affect their life in South Korea could be a big motivation for immigrant voters to take part in the local polls.
Carver added that a poor representation of foreigners' voices in South Korean politics could be another reason why they are not motivated to vote.
"I think that many foreign voters believe that their vote is not important in influencing South Korean politics," he said.
He also said the anti-discrimination law, which foreign residents have long been calling to be established, remains stalled at the National Assembly for more than a decade.