With less than 50 days left till the U.S. presidential election, it’s

With less than 50 days left till the U.S. presidential election, it’s unclear how swing voters and swing states will tilt the vote in a remarkably stable, yet tight race. But it seems as if Korean-Americans have generally decided which candidate they’re going to stand behind come November.

Despite a struggling economy, polls show one after another that the majority are ready to give President Barack Obama one more chance.

The U.S. Asian American Law Enforcement Association polled 1,100 Asian-Americans, and of the likely Korean voters, 59 percent said they support Obama, while only 13 percent said they favor Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Another poll released by MinKwon Center for Community Action, a non-profit Korean-American advocacy group, showed that America’s first black president is still a favorite among Koreans.

The center reached out to 1,500 potential voters and found that 44 percent support the Democratic ticket, while just 3 percent preferred Romney. The result, however, did find a bloc of maybes, because 35 percent said they haven’t made up their minds.

But even these undecided voters are likely to swing toward Obama in the end, political experts say.

“Korean voters have a tendency to get heavily influenced by family and friends,” says Robert Choi, a political watcher and voting advocate, “so there is a strong chance that Obama will pick up a good number of last-minute Korean votes.”

Plus, advocacy groups like Korean-Americans for Obama (KAFO) are consistently reaching out to Korean communities across the country to encourage votes for the candidate seeking re-election.

So after four years of Obama, why are Korean-Americans still rooting for the same team?

Immigration, healthcare and, of course, the economy put Obama and Romney straight up against each other, but it looks like the average Korean voter expects to live a better life with Obama in the White House.

“Obama is the safer choice for middle class people like us,” says Kim Woo-hyung, 54, who runs a dry cleaners in New York City. “I’m not interested in looking into all the issues but taxes alone tell me who to vote for.”

Romney’s tax plan has been under constant attack because it is expected to give wealthy households a giant tax cut.

When it comes to immigration, Obama continues to have a clear advantage over his contender.

“The current administration’s immigration policies have been disappointing so far, but any Korean, regardless of their status, has a better chance with Obama,” says Janis Lee, 33, a part-time social counselor.

Obama proposes a path to citizenship for qualifying illegal immigrants, while Romney advocates “self-deportation” and penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers.

The KAFO claims Obama is the better choice because he backs issues that matter to Koreans.

“Free trade between the U.S. and Korea … and a record number of Korean-Americans have been appointed to high-ranking governmental positions. President Obama also appointed the first-ever female Korean-American to serve as a judge on the federal branch,” it said, adding that these examples demonstrate Obama’s support for the Korean community.

And for those who don’t care about politics, just the fact that Obama repeatedly mentioned and praised Korea in his speeches make him the better candidate.

Since inauguration, Obama has often used Korea’s passion for education to prod American educators to do more.

“This alone shows that Korea is constantly on Obama’s radar,” says Kim A-ran, 34, a homemaker.

Political observers say age, income and political ideology are the three largest factors that typically determine presidential preference, but in this race, income level is set to significantly divide the vote.

“It’s no shocker that rich people like Romney,” says Alice Chang, advocate of a grassroots political action committee in New York. “There are certainly many high-income and upper class Korean-Americans, but they don’t outnumber the middle class. So at the end of the day, it’s not surprising to see why Koreans are tilting toward Obama.”

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2012/09/137_120174.html