Elections in South Korea

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Elections in South Korea are held on national level to select the President and the National Assembly.

The president is directly elected for a single five-year term by plurality vote. The National Assembly has 300 members elected for a four-year term, 246 in single-seat constituencies and 54 members by proportional representation. Each individual party willing to represent its policies in the National Assembly is qualified on the legislative (general) election if: i) the national party-vote reaches over 3.00% on proportional contest or ii) more than 5 members of the party are elected from each of their first-past-the-post election constituencies.^[1]

South Korea has a multi-party system, with two dominant parties and numerous third parties.

Schedule

Election

Position	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Type	National Assembly (April) Presidential (December)	None	Gubernatorial (April)	None	National Assembly (April)	Presidential (December)
President	President	None				President
National Assembly	All seats	None			All seats	None
Provinces, cities and municipalities	None		All positions	None

Inauguration

Position	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
Type	National Assembly (July)	Presidential (February)	Gubernatorial (July)	None	National Assembly (July)	None
President	None	February 25	None
National Assembly	July 3	None			July 3	None
Provinces, cities and municipalities	None		July 1	None

Latest elections

2014 local election

2012 presidential election

e • d Summary of the 19 December 2012 South Korean presidential election results
Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Park Geun-hye	Saenuri Party	15,773,128	51.55
	Moon Jae-in	Democratic United Party	14,692,632	48.02
	Kang Ji-won	Independent	53,303	0.17
	Kim Soon-ja	Independent	46,017	0.15
	Kim So-yeon	Independent	16,687	0.05
	Park Jong-sun	Independent	12,854	0.04
Invalid/blank votes			126,838	–
Total			30,721,459	100
Registered voters/turnout			40,507,842	75.84
Source: National Election Commission

2012 legislative elections

e • d Summary of the 11 April 2012 South Korean National Assembly election results^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]
Turnout 54.3%
Parties		Local seats	±	Block seats	±	Constituency votes	%	PR block votes	%	Total seats	±
	Saenuri Party (새누리당) (NFP) ¹	127	-10	25	-5	9,324,911	43.3%	9,130,651	42.8%	152	-15
	Democratic United Party (민주통합당) (DUP)	106	+40	21	+6	8,156,045	37.9%	7,777,123	36.5%	127	+46
	Unified Progressive Party (통합진보당) (UPP)	7	+5	6	+3	1,291,306	6.0%	2,198,405	10.3%	13	+8
	Liberty Forward Party (자유선진당) (LFP)	3	-11	2	-2	474,001	2.2%	690,754	3.2%	5	-13
	New Progressive Party (진보신당) (NPP)	0	±0	0	±0	101,614	0.5%	243,065	1.1%	0	±0
	Korea Vision Party (국민생각) (KVP)	0	±0	0	±0	44,379	0.2%	156,241	0.7%	0	±0
	Creative Korea Party (창조한국당) (CKP)	0	-1	0	-2	3,624	0.0%	91,935	0.4%	0	-3
	Other parties	0	±0	0	±0	132,709	0.6%	1,043,887	5.0%	0	±0
	Independents	3	-22	—	—	2,016,737	9.4%	—	—	3	-22
Total		246		54		21,545,326	100.0%	21,332,061	100.0%	300

Ideology
	Conservative (NFP, LFP, KVP)	130	-21	27	-7	9,843,291	45.7%	9,977,646	46.7%	157	-28
	Liberal (DUP, CKP)	106	+39	21	+4	8,159,669	37.9%	7,869,058	36.9%	127	+43
	Progressive (UPP, NPP)	7	+5	6	+3	1,392,920	6.5%	2,441,470	11.4%	13	+8
Total		246		54		19,395,880	90.1%	20,288,174	95.0%	300

¹ Comparison includes members elected in 2008 for the Pro-Park Coalition

Past elections

1948 legislative election

The election was held on May 10, 1948.

1948 presidential election

Under the original constitution of South Korea, the president was elected indirectly by the National Assembly.^[7] The only such election was held on July 20, 1948. Syngman Rhee received 182 of 199 votes (92%), thus defeating the two independent candidates Kim Koo(who received 13 votes, despite not participating in the process) and An Jae-hong (안재홍), who received 2 votes.^[8] Rhee thus became the Republic of Korea's first president.

The vice-president was elected separately at the same legislative session. Under the rules of the first constitution, a candidate had to receive 2/3 of the votes in order to prevail; however, in the first round, no vice-presidential candidate was able to do so. Yi Si-yeong received only a simple majority with 113 votes, Kim Koo 65, Cho Man-sik 10, Oh Se-chang 5, Jang Taek-sang 3, and Seo Sang-in 1. A runoff was therefore held between Kim and Yi, in which Yi took in 133 votes and gained the vice-presidency.^[9]

Less than a year after the election, on June 26, 1949, Kim was assassinated by 2nd lieutenant and Korean Independence Party member An Du-hui (안두희), whom a bus driver killed in Incheon on October 23, 1996.^[10]

1952 presidential election

In May 1952, Rhee pushed through constitutional amendments which made the presidency a directly elected position after having jailed members of parliament whom he expected to vote against it. In the same month, elections were held.

Election held during the Korean War on May 8, 1952. Turnout: 88.09%. Result: Syngman Rhee (이승만; 74.62%; Liberal Party [자유당]) wins over Cho Bong-am (조봉암; 11.36%), Lee Si-yeong (이시영; 10,89%; vice president of 1948) and Sin Heung-u (신흥우; 3,13%), thus being elected into his second term in office. He then pushes through another amendment to exempt himself from the presidential eight-year term limit. Other candidates: none. Votes deemed invalid: 3,51%

1954 legislative election

1956 presidential election

President Rhee has become less popular, but the opposition's main candidate for presidency Shin Ik-hee (신익희) suddenly dies while campaigning.

Election held on May 15, 1956. Turnout: 94.38%. Result: Syngman Rhee (이승만; 69.99%; Liberal Party [자유당]) wins over Cho Bong-am (조봉암; 30.01%; Progressive Party), thus being elected into his third term in office. Other candidates: none. Votes deemed invalid: 20,48%

March 1960 presidential election

The opposition's only candidate for presidency Cho Byeong-ok (조병옥) dies on February 15, 1960. The only living candidate Rhee Syngman Rhee (이승만; Liberal Party [자유당]) gets 100% of the vote. Other candidates: none.

Vice president is elected separately, with Rhee's favourite Lee Gi-bung (이기붕) being declared victor. Opposition claims election was rigged and declares it invalid.

Public pressure topples Rhee's regime: The president resigns on April 26, 1960 and is evacuated from Korea by the United States' CIA two days later. In response to his government's authoritarian excesses, the state changes to a parliamentary system, in which the president wields no power.

1960 legislative election

August 1960 presidential election

On August 12, 1960, the newly elected parliament elects a new president. Yun Po Sun, whom Rhee had appointed mayor of Seoul in 1948 and minister in 1949, but who soon opposed him and in 1960 eventually founded the Democratic Party (민주당), is elected president (82%) and appoints Chang Myeon (장면) prime minister. Chang leaves the Democratic Party to form the New Democratic Party (신민당).

In 1961, Major-General Park Chung Hee successfully leads a military coup and takes over power, leaving Yun in office. Yun resigns on March 22, 1962.

Under pressure from the Kennedy administration in the United States, Park has to restore civilian government, but closely wins the following elections:

1963 presidential election

Election held on October 15, 1963. Turnout: 84.99%. Result: Park Chung Hee (박정희; 46.65%; Democratic Republican Party [민주공화당]; president 1963 to 1979) wins over Yun Po Sun (윤보선; 45.1%; Democratic Party [민주당]; president 1960 to 1962) and Oh Jae-yeong (오재영; 4.05%; Autumn Wind Club [추풍회]). Other candidates (2): 4,2%. Votes deemed invalid: 8.65%. The difference between Park and Yun is only 156,026 votes or 1.5477% of valid votes.

1967 presidential election

Election held on May 3, 1967. Turnout: 83.57%. Result: Park Chung Hee (박정희; 51.44%; Democratic Republican Party (민주공화당); president 1963 to 1979) wins over Yun Po Sun (윤보선; 40.93%; New People's party [신민당] president 1960 to 1962), Oh Jae-yeong (오재영; 2.39%; Unified Korea Party [통한당]), Kim Jun-yeon (2.25%; Democratic Party [민주당]) and Jun Jin-han (2.1%; Korean Independence Party [한국독립당]) and Lee Se-jin (0.89%; Justice Party [정의당]). Other candidates: none. Votes deemed invalid: 5.04%. The difference between Park and Yun is 1,162,125 votes or 10.5087% of valid votes.

1971 presidential election

Park wins against later president Kim Dae-jung by a margin of 8% of valid votes and in 1972 establishes the Yusin Constitution.

1972 presidential election

Indirect presidential election controlled by Park's incumbent regime.

1978 presidential election

Indirect presidential election controlled by Park's incumbent regime.

1979 presidential election

Kim Jae-kyu, chief of the KCIA, assassinates Park on October 26, 1979. Prime minister Choe Gyuha becomes acting president under the Yusin Constitution and shortly after is elected president by the National Conference for Unification, an electoral college set up as part of the Yusin system. Chun Doo-hwan curbs his power in a military coup in December 1979; Choe resigns after the Gwangju massacre of 1980.

1980 presidential election

Indirect presidential election controlled by General Chun Doo-hwan.

1981 presidential election

Indirect presidential election controlled by Chun's incumbent regime under the new 1980 Constitution. It was the last indirect presidential election.

1987 presidential election

1992 presidential election

1997 presidential election

2000 legislative election

2002 presidential election

2004 legislative election

October 26, 2005 by-election

By-election held on October 26, 2005 in Bucheon, Daegu, Gwangju and Ulsan districts.
See the external links section for a comment on the by-election's outcome and aftermath.

2007 presidential election

2008 legislative election

2010 local election

Notes

↑ Representation System(Elected Person), the NEC, Retrieved on April 10, 2008
↑ Number of Local seats earned by each party (in Korean), National Election Commission, Retrieved 12 April 2012.
↑ Number of Block seats earned by each party (in Korean), National Election Commission, Retrieved 12 April 2012
↑ Total number of votes earned for Block seats by each party (in Korean), National Election Commission, Retrieved 12 April 2012
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↑ Lee (1984), p. 378.
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↑ The date of the 1949 assassination is confirmed by Nahm (1986), p. 380. The name is confirmed by Lee (1993), p. 99.

References

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External links

Overview of candidates, parties and outcomes of South Korean elections since 1952 (with minor flaws like 이시영 missing in the 1952 page and wrong year of Park's resignation in the 1960 page)
Comment on the October 26, 2005 by-election results

[1] Representation System(Elected Person), the NEC, Retrieved on April 10, 2008

[2] Number of Local seats earned by each party (in Korean), National Election Commission, Retrieved 12 April 2012.

[3] Number of Block seats earned by each party (in Korean), National Election Commission, Retrieved 12 April 2012

[4] Total number of votes earned for Block seats by each party (in Korean), National Election Commission, Retrieved 12 April 2012

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[7] Lee (1984), p. 378.

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[10] The date of the 1949 assassination is confirmed by Nahm (1986), p. 380. The name is confirmed by Lee (1993), p. 99.

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v t e Elections and referendums in South Korea
Presidential elections	1948 1952 1956 1960 (Mar) 1960 (Aug) 1963 1967 1971 1972 1978 1979 1980 1981 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012 2017 2022 2027
Legislative elections	1946 1948 1950 1954 1958 1960 1963 1967 1971 1973 1978 1981 1985 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
By-elections	1976 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Local elections	1950 1952 1956 1960 1991 1995 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026
Referendums	1962 1969 1972 1975 1980 1987

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