UzA Correspondent interviewed an international observer from the Republic of Korea, Department Head at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Professor Lee Ji-Eon.

– I arrived in Uzbekistan to observe the elections and have been monitoring the electoral process since this morning, – she said. – When I inquired about the voting process two hours after the start of the elections, it turned out that 20 percent of the population had already voted in some polling stations. This indicates the activity of citizens. Indeed, polling stations are crowded with people.

– Have you observed the elections in Uzbekistan before?

– Yes, I have participated as an observer in the elections before. Even then, people’s activity attracted my attention. In South Korea, people are not indifferent to elections, but they are not very active. In our country, finding people standing in line to vote isn’t easy. Usually, about 60 percent of the population participates in elections. I have witnessed that in Uzbekistan, this figure, as a rule, exceeds 80 percent.

– It turns out that you speak Uzbek well and even teach this language in South Korea. What is the interest in the Uzbek language among your compatriots?

– I studied in Uzbekistan and defended my research work here. That’s why I managed to master this language well. Currently, our interest in the Uzbek language is at its peak. Young people are studying your culture and want to visit Uzbekistan to communicate with native speakers of this language.

– What are your plans?

– We have recently published a manual on teaching Uzbek language. To further develop my activities in this direction, I would like to establish cooperation with Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature named after Alisher Navoi.

Norgul Abduraimova, UzA