Election Day and Election Period

• Election Day

  Where there is no law to fix the date of an election, there is a possibility that the government or ruling party may schedule the election to their advantage, undermining the election's fairness. In Korea, disagreements over this issue had been going on until 1994, when the Public Official Election Act was ammended to set election days for all elections held at the expiration of terms of office, special elections and re-elections.
  However, in the case of an election caused by a presidential vacancy, a reelection or an election for the head of a local government due to the establishment, abolition, division or merger of local governments, the election day can be set by the President (or Acting President) or the Chairperson of the competent constituency Election Commission.

• Election Day Dates

  1. Presidential Elections : The first Wednesday after the 70th day before the expiration of the termof office.
  2. National Assembly Elections: The first Wednesday after the 50th day before the expiration of the term of office.
  3. Nationwide Similtaneous Local Elections: The first Wednesday after the 30th day before the expiration of the term of office. 4. Special Election/Re-election : The last Wednesday in April. However, If that day falls on a folk festival or public holiday or if the day preceding or following the election day is a public holiday, the election is held on the following Wednesday.

• Election Period
  • Presidential elections : 23 days
  • National Assembly or Nationwide Similataneous Local Elections : 14 days 

​​Election campaigning is allowed from the day after the closing of candidate registration to the day before election day. No campaigning is permitted on the election day.