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Soaring living costs push first-time and returning Korean voters to US midterms

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Soaring living costs push first-time and returning Korean voters to US midterms

SEATTLE — For Lee Min-ha, a 46-year-old Korean living near Seattle, eating out has become a luxury her household can no longer afford.

“Everything has gotten so expensive that eating out is completely out of the question,” Lee said. “I’ve been buying groceries almost exclusively on sale for quite some time now. Living in America is getting harder and harder, and every day I wonder how things got this bad.”

A meal at a casual Korean restaurant can easily cost a family of four more than $100 once taxes and tips are included, making even an occasional family outing an increasingly expensive proposition.

Lee’s frustration reflects a widespread concern among Korean voters ahead of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections.

The 2026 Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Voter Survey, conducted by Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote and AAPI Data, found that 86 percent of Korean American registered voters considered inflation and the cost of living very or extremely important in deciding how to vote.

The figure was 90 percent among Asian American respondents overall, underscoring the importance of pocketbook issues as voters prepare to decide which party controls Congress for the remaining two years of U.S. President Donald Trump’s term.

For families struggling to make ends meet, the strain goes well beyond groceries and gasoline.

In Los Angeles, Kim Hyun-joo, 42, said the cost of raising two children keeps climbing, even though she has tried to limit their extracurricular activities.

“We barely do any extracurricular activities,” Kim said. “But even with just weekly piano lessons and soccer, it’s easy to spend $1,000 a month.”

The frustration is also playing out in Korean online communities across the U.S., where posts about soaring prices have drawn responses from others facing similar struggles.

“I filled up my car today, and when I saw the bill was nearly $100, I couldn’t help but curse,” one commenter wrote.

In San Diego, another resident said gasoline cost $5.69 per gallon.

The latest government figures show that price pressures persist. U.S. consumer prices rose 3.7 percent in September from a year earlier, while gasoline prices jumped 9.1 percent from the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Even the simple tradition of handing out Halloween candy has become more expensive.

“A bag of candy that used to cost $10 is now $20,” one parent wrote. “Even the $1 ice cream has gone up to $2. Prices have risen so much that I can feel it even when buying candy for the kids.”

Money worries have also spilled into political discussions, with some blaming Trump’s policies for the rising costs and others voicing frustration with both major parties.

And for some Koreans who had long stayed away from the ballot box, the political climate has provided a reason to vote again.

“I hadn’t voted in a very long time, but this time I voted as soon as my ballot arrived,” one user wrote, urging others to participate.

Another replied, “I voted for the first time in my life. I couldn’t just sit back and watch what’s happening.”

Others shared similar experiences in separate online discussions.

“I registered to vote for the first time, filled out my ballot and mailed it today,” one person wrote.

Another said it had been more than a decade since they last voted.

“I voted this time after more than 10 years of not voting,” the commenter wrote, citing anger over the political situation.

Some described voting alongside family members, while others said they had never felt so strongly about taking part in an election.

“I’ve never wanted to vote this badly in my life,” one commenter wrote after casting a ballot with college-age children.

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