This is a column written

This is a column written by Professor Yoo Hyun-joon of Hongik University in the Chosun Ilbo.

To summarize Yoo's key points, (1) the 52-hour workweek and work-life balance benefit Chinese companies, (2) the Chinese Communist Party would like foreigners to be able to vote in local elections three years after obtaining permanent residency, (3) China would like to remember and accuse Japanese colonial era of its atrocities, (4) democracy, human rights, political correctness and proper historical consciousness make the Republic of Korea a pro-China force. It is simply absurd.

Every argument has little basis, but let's just talk about foreigners' voting. As Professor Yoo said, Koreans can vote in local elections three years after obtaining permanent residency. While lawmakers or presidents cannot be elected, mayors or ward chiefs can be elected. It is right that those who live on land with permanent residency can choose their own officials who have a close influence on their lives. Since Korea has a democratic system.

By the way, obtaining permanent residency is highly unlikely. In order for ordinary foreigners to change their qualifications, they must earn more than twice the GNI per capita in Korea. The comprehensive examination for permanent residents including Korean language and Korean history is also tough. Overseas Koreans or marriage immigrants are a little better and only need to earn GNI per capita. This is 44 million won as of 2024. For ordinary permanent residents, it is 88 million won. If they earn this much, they will also pay a lot of taxes. They do not have to go to democracy or human rights. It is natural to give rights to those who have fulfilled their obligations.

That doesn't mean that the number of people voting is very high. As of the end of 2024, there are about 200,000 permanent residents in Korea. It is about 8% of the total foreigners (2.6 million), and less than 0.4% of the total citizens (51.7 million). Among them, there are 130,000 Korean-Chinese and 40,000 Chinese, but fewer people have the right to vote because they meet three-year qualifications. Moreover, the foreign voter turnout is in the 10% range, so the actual impact on the election is insignificant (2018 13.5% and 2022 13.3%).

(Update: 16,891 foreign voters = 0.07% out of 22,550,456 total voters as of the 8th local elections in 2022. Lower only for Chinese.)

Foreigners are those we brought because we needed them, and they contributed greatly to the national economy, and it is not justified to treat them as agents of the Communist Party because of anti-communism and anti-China sentiment. It is not in line with the liberal democratic system that the author seems to believe in to write them down when necessary and not give them rights.

I don't know what giving voting rights to permanent residents has to do with handing over jobs and food for our descendants to the Communist Party, but even so, taking away their voting rights is contrary to liberal democracy. Are you saying that if we want to catch the Communist Party, we are free, democratic, human rights, historical consciousness and give up everything? I don't want to live in a country like China (in my fantasy) where there are no human rights, no work-life balance, no protection for the weak, and no democracy.

Of course, it is not without China's influence. There are domestic industries and workers who are economically affected by free trade and immigration, and even if the actual impact is not significant, there is a chance that they will feel threatened. The alternative to this is not contextless China-bashing and deprivation of freedom, democracy, human rights, and diversity. Rather, it is about protecting vulnerable people first so that anyone can live like a human being. Creating and demonizing an imaginary enemy will only make the situation worse.