PROTESTS OVER OVERSEAS VOTING

[Anchor Lead]

Overseas voting for the April general election is underway, but Koreans living in Germany have been barred from exercising their right to vote by the National Election Commission over the COVID-19 infection concerns. In addition to filing a complaint with the Constitutional Court, Korean expatriates are waging a one-person relay protest in front of the Korean Embassy in Germany

[Pkg]

​A Korean expat in Germany wearing a mask holds up a sign towards the embassy building in a silent protest. Six people took turns, each for 30 minutes at a time. Protesters claimed that there is no democracy and justice without voting and demanded overseas voting take place between April 4th and 6th.

[Soundbite] SHIN SEUNG-HEE(KOREAN EXPAT IN GERMANY) : "I have an 18-year-old daughter who was so excited to exercise her right to vote for the first time this year. She talked about politics with her dad and was getting ready for it."

They said that voting can take place in Germany like in other Korean diplomatic missions if voters kept their distance and personal hygiene was maintained by using masks and sanitizers. The participants also complained about the Embassy's lack of effort to communicate with them.

[Soundbite] KIM HONG-KI(KOREAN STUDENT IN GERMANY) : "The Embassy abruptly cancelled the overseas voting without discussing it with students or expatriates."

One Korean national who hadn't heard about the cancellation came all the way from her home an hour away from Berlin only to be turned away. The Korean Embassy in Germany said it had no other recourse than to halt the voting process due to risk of infection and the German government's concerns. The relay protest continues today. Already, expats filed a complaint and injunction with the Constitutional Court of Korea through their legal representatives.