by Park Chan-kyong in SCMP, June 22, 2023
South Korea’s ruling party wants to prevent Chinese nationals living in the country from meddling in politics and abusing its medical insurance law, sparking accusations that it is stirring up anti-Chinese sentiments amid rising tension.

Kim Gi-hyeon, the chairman of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) – which has fewer seats in parliament than its rival Democratic Party – told lawmakers during a speech on Tuesday that South Korea-China relations “should be re-established under the principle of reciprocity”.

“We will work to limit the voting rights of Chinese residents in this country,” Kim said.

In local elections last year, about 100,000 Chinese people living in South Korea were eligible to vote, while South Koreans in China were not allowed to vote at all, he said.

Most of these China-born residents have Korean ancestors and hold Chinese passports.

“It’s only fair to deny foreigners the right to vote in this country unless their home countries grant our own citizens the same right,” Kim added.

He singled out the alleged abuse of South Korea’s public health insurance system by Chinese people as another key area that should be corrected under the principle of reciprocity.

“The health insurance fund created by the sweat and hard work of the people must not be abused for foreign medical shopping. We will stop health insurance frauds and freeriding on health insurance” by Chinese people, Kim said.

Health insurance coverage for foreigners who enrolled in domestic health insurance was smaller than the premiums they paid, resulting in a surplus of 1.7 trillion won (US$1.3 billion) from 2018 to 2021, according to the health ministry.

This is apparently due to the fact that foreigners working in South Korea are relatively young and do not often have to see doctors.
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However, a different picture emerges when breaking it down country by country.

Only the Chinese have a deficit – of 284.4 billion won – in the same four-year period, suggesting their policy claims are relatively higher than the rest.

Americans had a surplus of 68.3 billion won, Vietnamese 44.7 billion won, and Filipinos 316 billion won.

The Chinese deficit has been decreasing, from 159 billion won in 2018, 98.7 billion won in 2019, 23.9 billion won in 2020 and 10.9 billion won in 2021, with the authorities linking that reduction to fewer Chinese arrivals during the pandemic and the government tightening requirements for foreigners being able to benefit from the nation’s health insurance.

As of July 2022, there were 0.93 dependents for every employer member who enrolled in the public medical insurance policy, while foreign members have an average of only 0.37 dependents who can benefit from insurance.

Chinese employed members in South Korea have an average of 0.49 dependents.

Kim spoke out after President Yoon, while presiding over a government cabinet meeting last week, reportedly called for laws and regulations to be changed to align them with the “principle of reciprocity”.

Yoon also said that Koreans are “displeased” with Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming warning against Seoul betting on Beijing being defeated by Washington in the superpowers’ rivalry, Yonhap News said.

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Xing made the statement earlier this month when he met with Yoon’s nemesis Lee Jae-myung, the liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea head.

Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon told journalists last week that permanent residence regulations for foreigners are also being reviewed to apply the principle of reciprocity to voting rights.

“Granting foreigners the right to vote without considering the principle of reciprocity could bend public opinion,” Han said.

Critics said allegations that the right to vote for Chinese citizens could lead to interference in domestic affairs were exaggerated.

They said that not only do they make up a tiny percentage of the electorate but they are only allowed to vote in local elections, not in presidential and general elections.

According to election authorities, around 100,000 Chinese nationals accounted for 0.2 per cent of the total number of voters in last year’s local elections.

The number of Chinese residents entitled to cast their ballot has been declining year by year, from 35.2 per cent in 2010 to 16.7 per cent in 2014 and 13.3 per cent in 2022, indicating that the actual influence of Chinese nationals is minimal.

Kim Sheng-hak, a Chinese worker in Korea, said he was “appalled” at the ruling party’s moves and statements that he said were fanning hatred.

“We honestly work here, pay taxes and buy medical insurance policies as all Korean workers do. Then, why should we be a target for hatred?” he said.

Political Science Professor Jeong Hoi-ok at Myongji University said the government is engaging in a “straw man tactic” – refuting an argument different to what is actually being discussed – by substituting tricky diplomatic rows with Beijing with the easier targeting of Chinese nationals in Korea.

“Such moves may send a wrong signal to the world that South Koreans are xenophobic at a time when this country needs immigrated workers to cope with its low birth rates,” she said.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said the ruling party is exploiting anti-Chinese sentiments shared by many Koreans to expand its support base ahead of next year’s crucial general elections.
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3224949/south-koreas-ruling-party-seeks-limit-chinese-nationals-voting-health-rights?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage