Asian people holding cast boats in Georgia...Eyes on Korean Voters

[Anchor]
With the U.S. presidential election just two weeks away, attention is also focused on the choices of Asian voters, including Koreans.

In particular, Georgia, a state where Harris and Trump are competing within the margin of error, has a large Asian population, so the competition to win votes is fierce.

Go to Kyungjoo, correspondent Kwon Jun-ki reports from Georgia.

[Reporter]
"With an honor, I would like to introduce Vice President Kamala Harris, the next president of the United States."

Tyler Lee, who introduced Vice President Harris to the stage at a campaign event in Georgia, a rival state.

He is a second-generation Korean immigrant high school student who has been actively engaged in gun control campaigns.

[Tyler Lee / Georgia Korean voters] I'm here on behalf of Korean Americans who want a better America, and the way to do that is with Harris. I'm so honored and proud.]

The Harris Camp in Georgia created a hat and badge with Korean characters next to the iconic Georgia peach and Harris names. This is to win the votes of Korean voters.

U.S. Representative Strykland, who is of Korean descent, flew far from his home state of Washington to campaign for Georgia.

He held a Harris support event with Korean voters and held a home visit campaign.

[Marilyn Strickland / Democratic U.S. Congressman] Korean voters can make a difference in the presidential election. We are very politically active. More than 100,000 Koreans living in Georgia must go to the polls and vote.]

The participation of Korean people in politics has also increased, and Korean names have begun to appear more on the ballot paper than in the past.

Eugene Yoo, who ran for Congress with a Republican badge, said the Trump campaign could not ignore Korean votes.

[Yu Jin-yu / Republican candidate for Congress] Asian voters have never touched anyone, but the Democratic Party did that first.... Maybe we should pay attention to politics now.]

The population of Georgia is under 50% white, and black, Hispanic and Asian people are starting to make up the majority. Only 6% of Asian voters are Korean, but there is a reason why they are attracting attention in this presidential election.

The U.S. media is also paying attention to Asian voters, as the turnout of Asian voters, previously known to be less interested in politics, increased by 91% between 2016 and 2020.

In addition, there are observations that in the ultra-tight situation like this presidential election, influential Korean votes among Asian people can be a casting vote.

[Sam Park / Georgia Member of Parliament (Democrats): Your influence is determined by the vote. Especially in Georgia, the votes of Koreans are becoming more important and powerful.

[Shin Hyun-woong / Republican Asia-Pacific Committee: Trump Jr. comes and goes to Korea twice. When I see them attending small meetings, they're very interested. In particular, Koreans are more interested in elections and politics than other peoples.]

As the U.S. presidential election, which is only two weeks away, continues unprecedented close competition, Korean voters are paying attention to their choices.

This is YTN Kwon Jun-ki from Georgia.