The Overseas Koreans Agency has officially announced plans to introduce postal and electronic voting in overseas elections. During a briefing on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Koreans Agency held at the Blue House on the 5th (KST), Agency Administrator Kim Kyung-hyup reported to President Lee Jae-myung that the agency aims to introduce postal and electronic voting by 2028, specifically targeting the elections two years from now.
In response, President Lee emphasized the need for active institutional reform, stating that postal voting should be introduced first in countries with established postal infrastructure, while alternatives such as expanding polling stations need to be prepared for the remaining nations. Currently, overseas voting is limited to presidential and parliamentary elections.
Given that the Agency is accelerating efforts to introduce postal and electronic voting—a long-cherished wish of the overseas Korean community—it is highly likely that if the system is implemented, it will be applied for the first time in the 23rd General Election in 2028. The Overseas Koreans Agency has been working to build social consensus for the expansion of polling stations and the introduction of postal and electronic voting. Last March, it hosted a forum at the National Assembly to convey the limitations of the current system and the desire of overseas Koreans to vote to the National Election Commission and the National Assembly; in April, it successfully ensured that the introduction of postal and electronic voting was included as an agenda item for the first time at the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform.
The Agency plans to work with the National Election Commission to develop institutional improvement proposals, including postal and electronic voting, by verifying postal systems and internet connectivity in various countries and conducting mock elections. It is also reviewing the requirement for establishing additional polling stations, lowering it from one per 30,000 overseas Koreans to one per 20,000. The number of polling stations per diplomatic mission is also expected to increase from a maximum of three to four. Furthermore, the Agency explained that it is currently constructing a “Digital Integrated Platform for Overseas Koreans” that combines civil complaints, interactive communication, and community functions, with a target completion date of 2027. In addition, the agency
plans to establish a unified World Korean Convention for the first time in history as part of a grand integration effort for the 7 million overseas Koreans. Furthermore, it intends to foster solidarity among local Koreans by providing intensive support for local commemorative events that reflect the specific characteristics of each country of residence, such as “Korean American Day” in the U.S. (January 13), “Korean Immigration Day” in Mexico (May 4), and “Korea Day” in Poland (the second Saturday of October). The Overseas Koreans Agency also decided to strengthen identity education by significantly increasing the government subsidy rate for Korean schools from the current 26% to 50% and expanding the scale of training programs inviting Koreans to the homeland to 4,500 participants by 2028.