SEOUL, South Korea— President Lee Jae-myung pledged sweeping reforms to South Korea’s electoral and citizenship laws for the global diaspora on Thursday, promising to make it significantly easier for overseas Koreans to exercise their rights and contribute to the nation.

Speaking at the 19th World Korean Day commemoration ceremony in Seoul, President Lee hailed the diaspora, who "built their communities over 120 long years," as the "true protagonists" behind the Republic of Korea's remarkable achievements in industrialization and democracy.

A cornerstone of his commitment is the immediate reform of the overseas voting system. Lee criticized the status quo, which often forces citizens to travel great distances, noting the absurdity of consolidating "several cities, perhaps several countries," into a single polling station due to manpower and budget constraints.

"To resolve this situation, we must introduce feasible methods like postal voting and employ temporary staff to ensure voting is made as easy and accessible as possible," the President stated. Currently, overseas voting is largely confined to diplomatic missions, requiring in-person visits to cast a ballot.

In addition to voting reform, President Lee promised to tackle the long-standing demand to lower the age requirement for multiple citizenship. Under current law, those who acquired foreign nationality must generally wait until age 65 to regain Korean citizenship without renouncing their foreign one. Overseas Koreans have consistently argued for lowering this threshold to allow middle-aged professionals to return and leverage their international expertise and economic connections—a key policy goal for the government seeking to attract global talent.

"We will work toward resolving the issue of lowering the age for multiple citizenship based on social consensus," he said. Lee urged the diaspora to lend their support to ensure these institutional reforms can be implemented quickly.

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]