Ruling People Power Party(PPP) interim leader Han Dong-hoon pledged to maintain reciprocity within the boundary of sovereign rights concerning overseas Koreans and foreigners residing in the country.

At an election steering committee meeting on Wednesday, Han made the pledge as he referred to main opposition Democratic Party(DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, who recently came under fire for saying South Korea should say "xie xie," or "thank you" in Chinese, without meddling in the cross-strait issue with Taiwan.

The PPP interim chief said such comments cause disappointment to Koreans living abroad, stressing that this is the difference between the two rival parties.

Han said the PPP will fulfill the principle of reciprocity, under which local election voting rights will only be granted to permanent foreign residents from countries that give similar rights to Korean residents.

As the six-day overseas voting period for the April 10 general elections began on Wednesday, Han urged Koreans living abroad to exercise their voting rights and promised his best efforts to ensure the government continues to pay attention to their difficulties and fulfill its obligations to them.