South Korea may ban overseas residents with pro - North Korea attitudes from taking part in national elections , officials said , a controversial move aimed at preventing Pyongyang from wielding influence over local politics . Starting from April next year , some 2 . 5 million Koreans living abroad will be able to take part in the April 11 parliamentary and Dec . 19 presidential elections by registering with a South Korean embassy in their vicinity and directly casting a ballot . Expecting that pro - Pyongyang overseas residents will try to influence politics in Korea by acquiring South Korean citizenship , the election watchdog is seeking to restrict their voting rights . A meeting will be held Sept . 8 among related ministries to discuss measures concerning the issue , an official at the National Election Commission said . The measures may include reforming the nationality law to apply stricter standards on people who want to achieve South Korean citizenship . “ We are concerned of the negative impact some pro - North Korean agencies may have on overseas voting , ” the official said , asking not to be named until the measure becomes official . “ Giving suffrage to people who are prone to praising the North Korean regime appears to go against the Constitution . But it is also true that we cannot ban someone from casting a ballot based on his or her political or ideological tendency , ” the official added . The election watchdog believes some pro - North Korean entities such as the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan are planning to influence South Korean politics in a direction desirable to the Pyongyang regime . Those belonging to the association , known more widely as “ Chongryon , ” can easily get South Korean citizenship within two to three weeks under the current nationality law . Chongryon is an organization that functions as North Korea ’ s de facto embassy in Japan . Some 50 , 000 ethnic Koreans belonging to the association will be able to cast ballots under the scenario , wrongly influencing election results , the Seoul government believes . “ This is a serious issue that calls for proper countermeasures , ” Rep . Chung Mi - kyung of the ruling Grand National Party said during a recent parliamentary session . By Shin Hae - in ( hayney @ heraldm . com )