Home > National > Social Affairs

Most Koreans oppose nonreciprocal voting rights for foreigners, support disclosing nationality on comments: Survey

Published: 09 Jan. 2026, 16:01 Updated: 09 Jan. 2026, 19:31

Na Kyung-won, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, at an emergency forum on China’s West Sea Project held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on March 25, 2025 [NEWS1]

A large majority of Koreans believe that foreign nationals from countries that do not grant voting rights to Korean citizens should not be allowed to vote in local elections, according to a new survey. It also found broad support for disclosing commenters’ nationalities on online news platforms.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents opposed granting local voting rights to such foreign residents, according to a joint survey conducted by Seoul National University’s Institute for Future Strategy and Hankook Research. That figure includes 44 percent who said they were “strongly opposed” and 25 percent who said they were “somewhat opposed.” Only 13 percent supported allowing the practice.

The findings suggest strong public backing for the principle of reciprocity — that Korea should extend voting rights to foreign nationals only if their home countries offer the same rights to Korean citizens.

Opposition to foreign residents’ voting rights cut across political lines. While opposition was higher among supporters of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) with 80 percent and the minor conservative Reform Party with 74 percent, a majority of supporters of the liberal Democratic Party with 60 percent and the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party with 73 percent were also against the idea. Among centrists, 65 percent expressed opposition.

[HANKOOK RESEARCH]

Under current law, foreign nationals who have held permanent residency for at least three years and are registered in the foreign resident registry are eligible to vote in local elections. The number of eligible foreign voters has steadily increased, reaching 127,623 in the 2022 local elections.

Of those, an overwhelming majority — 99,969 — were Chinese nationals. Most countries, including the United States, China and Japan, do not grant voting rights to foreign residents, including Koreans living there. Korea does not allow foreign nationals to vote in presidential or National Assembly elections.

The survey also showed strong public support for displaying commenters’ nationalities on online news platforms. Sixty-four percent of respondents said they support a system that would identify the nationality of those posting comments, with 32 percent saying they “strongly agree” and another 32 percent saying they “somewhat agree.”

Foreigners try getting a Korean name based on saju during the Seoul Festa 2023 event on April 30, 2023. [YONHAP]

Support exceeded 50 percent across ideological groups, including conservatives with 71 percent, progressives with 64 percent and centrists with 58 percent. Only 15 percent opposed the idea.

"The findings indicate that the issues of foreign voting rights and nationality disclosure in online comments transcend ideology," said Sung Ye-jin, a researcher at Sungkyunkwan University’s Center for Good Democracy. “They are seen as questions about how the rights of our community are protected, leading to public opinion that goes beyond partisan divisions."

In politics, the PPP has taken the lead in discussions on restricting foreign voting rights and introducing a nationality disclosure system for online comments. In the 22nd National Assembly, several bills have been introduced to tighten eligibility, including proposals to extend the required period of residence after obtaining permanent residency from the current three years to five or more.

In February last year, Rep. Na Kyung-won and 33 other lawmakers from the PPP proposed legislation requiring the country from which online comments or posts are written to be displayed. They cited growing public concern that organized overseas efforts are increasingly attempting to distort domestic online public opinion through coordinated commenting activities.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK JUN-KYU [[email protected]]