Rebel votes for December

NEW YORK _ With just two months left till voting day, the conservative Saenuri Party is apparently keeping Korean expats high on their priority list by launching a cross-country campaign in the U.S. Based on their calculation, they’ve got this big chunk of voters in the bag.

But not so fast, political watchers say.

In the past, it was a given that Koreans in the U.S. lean to the right, but not anymore because this long-standing tendency is rapidly changing. And the upcoming presidential election is likely to be the first opportunity that will reflect this shift.

“You’d think most Korean expatriates in the U.S. are conservatives. That was true up until recently,’’ says Min Byung-ho, a political analyst and voting advocate based in New York. “But times have changed and so have people’s political views.’’

Previous presidential elections have shown the right wing party consistently riding high above any other opponent in approval ratings. These polls have given the conservative camp an assurance that overseas voters will help them win the ticket to Cheong Wa Dae come December.

But past polls were just polls. This year’s election is the first time Korean citizens living abroad will actually be allowed to cast a ballot. So should we expect the same old or a surprise?

Local observers say independent runner Ahn Cheol-soo, software entrepreneur and professor, and leading opposition candidate Moon Jae-in, former aide to the late President Roh Moo-hyun, are faring surprisingly well up against long-time frontrunner Park Geun-hye of the governing Saenuri Party.

“It’s actually going to be a race, a real competition,’’ says Kim Hyoung-rok, who volunteers to promote the new overseas voting procedure in New Jersey. “Five out of 10 people side with Park, but the other half is split between Moon and Ahn.’’

The older generation typically supports the conservative camp. There’s no surprise there, but what’s interesting is how the younger generation is taking on a completely different political ideology distinct from their parents, Min says.

“Political views are shaped largely by family, education level and financial and social status. In many ways, we can easily expect 20- and 30-something Koreans in the U.S. to lean right, but that’s not what we’re seeing,’’ he said, adding that individuals are starting to shape their views independently with little influence from elders.

The Internet and media, experts say, play a monumental role in shaping the ideology of men and women who live thousands of miles away from Korean politics.

“Your political view depends on whether you use the Internet or not, especially if you live in the U.S. because that’s the main source where you get all the information about Korean politics,’’ says Elena Lee, 34, a housewife who emigrated to the U.S. five years ago.

“Young people are more open to new ideas and they dig around to find the answers they want, so I think it’s only natural to see younger people shifting to a liberal view,’’ she said.

Lee and her husband say they’re undecided between Ahn and Moon, like many of their friends who are eligible to vote.

Chae Jung-won, 42, who runs a nail salon in Connecticut, says the presidential election is a hot topic among her Korean customers.

“There’s a clear divide between age groups,’’ she said, “but even though the younger crowd is adding diversity to the traditional political color, many of them don’t seem like they’re going to go through the trouble of voting.’’

That’s the point made by many Korean leaders, who are skeptical about voter turnout.

“No matter how much of a change there is, there’s no difference in reality if people don’t practice their right to vote,’’ says David Cha, general director of the Federation of Korean Associations USA, an umbrella group of Korean-American associations.

“Park and Moon are primarily the top two rivals here, but Park supporters are more likely to show up and cast their ballots. We’ll see if the unexpected occurs,’’ he said. <The Korea Times/Jane Han>

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