Chinese living in Korea shouldn't be able to vote, PPP leader says

People Power Party leader Kim Gi-hyeon delivers a parliamentary speech at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Chinese nationals living in Korea should not have the right to vote in Korea, the leader of the ruling party said in a parliamentary speech.

People Power Party (PPP) leader Kim Gi-hyeon called for a change in electoral policies for foreigners living in Korea during the National Assembly's negotiation group session held in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Tuesday.

"Korea-China relations need to be re-established under the principle of reciprocity," Kim said.

"About 100,000 Chinese people living in Korea had voting rights in the regional election in June last year, but voting rights are not guaranteed for our people living in China," Kim added, raising questions on why Korea is the only side to lower the bar.

"It's fair to not give the right to vote to foreigners from a country that does not grant our people the right to vote," Kim argued.

Kim also attacked the current welfare insurance policy for foreigners.

"The national health fund, made up of our people's sweat and toil, ought not to drain as 'medical shopping' for foreigners," he said. "I will stop the dine and dash and freeriding on health insurance."

Kim said Chinese nationals in Korea enjoy more health insurance benefits than Koreans in China, which he blasted as "unjust and unfair."

"The scope of dependents a Chinese national in Korea can register on health insurance is much wider than that allowed for our people in China."

The right to vote for Chinese nationals with permanent residency in Korea has long been an issue, especially since it has been considered advantageous to the Democratic Party.

The regulations were changed to allow any foreigners that are 18 years or older to vote in local elections three years after gaining their permanent residency during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.

Among the 120,000 non-naturalized foreigners with the right to vote in Korea, nearly 80 percent are Chinese nationals, according to the Justice Ministry.

The second largest group is Taiwanese but only accounts for 8.4 percent, followed by Japanese, with 5.7 percent. Americans only account for 0.8 percent.

Additionally, between 2001 and 2020, among the 200,000 foreigners who have been naturalized, 64.5 percent or nearly 130,000 were Chinese, including those with Korean ancestry.

Vietnamese came second with 21.4 percent or 42,000 and Filipinos at 4.7 percent or 9,400.

The PPP has argued that having a "certain group of foreigners with voting rights" accounting for nearly 80 percent could distort Korean public opinion.

PPP Rep. Kwon Seong-dong a week ago said that there should be restrictions on giving out the right to vote to foreigners, such as requiring the foreigners to have lived a minimum of five years in Korea to vote.

"We have to uphold the principle of mutual respect between the countries," Kwon wrote in a Facebook post on June 12. "And show our strong will against China's interfering with domestic politics, and for this reason, the National Assembly has to pass the bill on fair election based on mutual respects [between countries]."

The issue resurfaced after Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming warned that those who bet against China will "regret it" while having the Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung sitting next to him earlier this month.

The event escalated tensions between the two countries, whose relationship had already frayed.

The Yoon Suk Yeol government and the PPP accused Xing of offending the Korean people while lambasting Lee for humiliating the public by standing idly during the 15-minute speech by Xing.

Lee has stressed the need to patch up the relationship between the two countries as Korea's trade deficit with China has been expanding.

Meanwhile, Kim also touted the Yoon administration's diplomatic approach to improving relations with Japan.

"President Yoon's effort to repair Korea-Japan ties is a solitary decision made in consideration of the interests of the people and the nation's future."

He denounced the Moon Jae-in administration's diplomatic policy as "representing only the rights of the hereditary dictator Kim Jong-un" and claimed it should be scrapped in whole.

Kim added that the government will scrutinize the release of treated radioactive water from the ruined Fukushima nuclear power plant and pledged that Fukushima-produced Japanese marine products will not be on the dinner tables in Korea.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO, LEE HO-JEONG [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]