Korean voters in US do collective nail-biting

Wednesday nights election showdown was nail-biting for Koreans in the U.S. just as much it was for their families and friends back in their motherland.

They reacted in a variety of ways but accepted the winner without bitterness. .

Many people came across the news first thing in the morning, just as president-elect Park Geun-hyes victory became more than likely around 10 p.m.(KST).

I set my alarm an hour earlier than usual to watch the election coverage, says Kim Jun-ah, 31, who lives in New York City and is one of the 37,103 Koreans there who cast their ballots earlier this month.

Koreans in the U.S. took up the biggest percentage of overseas voters, followed by Japan and China, in the first-ever presidential election that allowed Korean citizens living abroad to vote.

As is in Korea, political watchers have projected many younger voters to lean toward Parks liberal rival Moon Jae-in. And similarly, Moons supporters in the U.S. have been significantly more vocal on the Internet throughout the campaign process and even post-election day.

As soon as news of the result surfaced, various online Korean community sites were bombarded with threads expressing denial, lament and anger.

Its going to take a long time for reality to sink in. How can this be? Im not going to be able to work all day, wrote one user on MissyUSA, a popular online community among women.

Another user wrote, Its much more disappointing because I actually took part in the election this time.

Despite the loud reaction online, regional Korean leaders say still far more Koreans are welcoming Parks victory.

In the beginning, the younger generations active online activity gave the impression that liberals outnumbered conservatives in the U.S., said David Cha, general director of the Federation of Korean Associations USA, an umbrella group of Korean- Americans associations. But the truth is, Koreans in the U.S.

are still more conservative than liberal. Theyre just more reserved.

While voters are responding at odds over the election result, most agree that they want the new president to actively engage Korean nationals living away from home.

The bottom line is that we want someone who will always have an open ear and listen to our voices. We dont want to be forgotten, said Moon Ji-young, 44, who lives in Los Angeles.

Jae Lee, secretary general of the Korean American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area, said, I hope the new president will establish a strong network of Korean communities not only in the U.S. but all over the world and help boost Koreas brand value overseas.

Numerous other Koreans across the country expressed similar hopes for the incoming Park administration.

Koreas competitiveness is our competitiveness, said Hur Ki-tae, a member of the Korean Association of Los Angeles. We want the new leader to improve Koreas international standing because that ultimately helps us live better and more confidently here.

Choi Nam-sik, 44, a voter in New Jersey, said, We actually got a chance to vote this time.

Thats already a big improvement in itself. Im looking forward to other positive changes in the coming years. <The Korea Times/Jane Han>