KUALA LUMPUR - The number of foreign residents eligible to vote in South Korea’s June 3 local elections has reached a record high of more than 150,000, according to government data.
Figures from the National Election Commission and the Interior Ministry showed that 151,532 foreign nationals are eligible to vote this year, an increase of 18.7%, or 23,909 people, compared with the 2022 local elections.
Under South Korea’s election law, foreign nationals aged 18 and above who have held an F-5 permanent residency visa for at least three years can vote in local elections for mayors, governors and local council representatives.
However, foreign residents are not allowed to vote in presidential or parliamentary elections.
Foreign residents were first granted voting rights in local elections in 2006, when only 6,726 people were eligible to cast their ballots.
The number rose to 12,878 in 2010 and increased further to 48,428 in 2014.
In 2018, the figure exceeded 100,000 for the first time, reaching 106,205 eligible voters.
Twenty years after the policy was introduced, the number of eligible foreign voters is now about 22 times higher than in 2006.
The share of foreign voters in the overall electorate has also continued to grow over the years.
Foreign voters accounted for 0.02% of the electorate in 2006 before rising to 0.03% in 2010, 0.12% in 2014, 0.25% in 2018 and 0.29% in 2022.
This year's figure reached a record 0.34% of all eligible voters.
Despite the steady increase in eligible voters, participation among foreign residents has remained relatively low.
Government data showed foreign voter turnout declined from 35.2% in 2010 to 17.6% in 2014.
Turnout fell further to 13.5% in 2018 and stood at 13.3% during the 2022 local elections.
