The Voting Scene in Korea

[성김 대사]

I had wanted to share my thoughts about the results of the Korean General Elections with you all last week, but due to circumstances beyond my control, we were all forced to concentrate on the North Korean missile launch.  So even though it is a few days later than I had originally planned, I hope you will enjoy my take.

No matter what party or what candidates you support, you have to be proud of the just-completed Korean General Elections.  There is no better indication of a vibrant democracy than free and fair elections.

To me, the Korean election process has several very interesting aspects.  In the USA, we do not get a day off for Election Day.  You either have to vote in the morning before you go to work, go to the polls at lunchtime, or vote at night after work.  Because the majority of employees in the U.S. Embassy are Koreans, I decided to close the Embassy so as many people as possible could get to the polls.

The day after, it was all election news!

And it seems to me the turnout was a success.  I read that compared with the General Elections four years ago, voter turnout was up by 8 percentage points to 54.3 percent.  Now, some Koreans may be disappointed by those numbers, but by American standards, those numbers are actually very high and we are envious.

Another interesting aspect of the Korean General Elections that I noticed was that the time allotted for campaigning is relatively short, only 13 days.  To people here, that may seem too short, but I think many Americans who are used to endless campaigning in the States might prefer Korea’s approach.

Also, polling rules are different in the States.  In the U.S., it seems that for months and months, you hear constantly about poll after poll after poll.  Right up until the last second that someone is declared a winner, it seems like there is a new poll every few minutes.  But I like the rules here in Korea.  For the last six days of the campaign, there is no polling allowed. 

Being a fan of new media, I was happy to see SNS playing a bigger role in this year’s elections.  In fact, I read that some Korean celebrities made unique pledges through social media if the turnout was high enough.  One long-haired writer offered to cut his locks, while another offered to put on a miniskirt and sing and dance.  Unfortunately, as turnout did not reach their goals, we did not get to see either.

Because the General Elections and the Presidential Election only fall in the same year once every 20 years, last week’s election is particularly important as many predict it could have a major impact on the December Presidential elections.  And remember, this is a year of transition and elections in many places, and that makes 2012 quite a momentous year.

In addition to the elections, the past week was particularly exciting for me.  You see, it was spring break in the States, so my wife and kids flew to Korea and we had the chance to spend about 10 days together.  It was great.  We just enjoyed being all together, walking around the neighborhood, eating at great restaurants, checking out some of the fantastic Korean museums and seeing relatives.  We even went to a mandu restaurant in 동부이촌동 (Dongbu Ichon-dong) that we really liked from the last time we were in Seoul.  Even though I am older and the kids are bigger, the owner immediately recognized us and was very excited.  It was great to be back in a friendly neighborhood restaurant.

So it definitely turned out to be a unique week.  And it made me think of two important things you should always try to do: Spend time with your family and get out and vote.