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South Korea's Electoral System


You might think elections are boring, but trust me—in Korea, elections are intense, dramatic, and deeply meaningful. Every vote here feels like a fight for the future, and given Korea’s past with dictatorship and martial law, people really treasure their right to vote.


🗳️ Who can vote? Who can run?

Let’s start with the basics.

  • Every Korean citizen age 18 and over can vote.

  • For most elections, anyone age 25 or older can run for office.

  • Korean citizens living abroad can also vote in major elections at embassies!

Voting is not compulsory in Korea, but turnout is often high, especially in presidential elections—people care deeply about leadership here.


🧭 Types of Elections in Korea

There are four main types of elections:

  1. Presidential Elections (대통령 선거)

    • Held every 5 years

    • The president is elected directly by the people

    • No re-election allowed. One term only!

    • This is the biggest political event in Korea, like the Super Bowl of politics!

  2. National Assembly Elections (총선)

    • Held every 4 years

    • Korea has 300 lawmakers

      • 253 are chosen by local districts (like in the U.S.)

      • 47 are chosen by proportional representation, which gives smaller parties a fairer chance

  3. Local Elections (지방선거)

    • Mayors, governors, provincial council members

    • Held every 4 years, usually 2 years after the presidential election

  4. By-elections (보궐선거)

    • Special elections held when a seat becomes vacant—like if someone resigns or is removed from office


🧮 How does voting work?

Korea uses paper ballots and a two-vote system in legislative elections:

  • One vote is for your local candidate

  • One vote is for a political party

This means you can support a person from one party and a party from another, giving voters more flexibility.

Korea is also famous for its fast and efficient vote counting. Most results are available within hours, and it's live-streamed like a sports event. No hanging chads here!


📅 Election Day in Korea

  • It’s always held on a Wednesday, and it’s a national holiday!

  • Schools, offices, even K-pop promotions often pause.

  • People take selfies with inked fingers or voting stickers—voting is a proud moment here.


🗳️ Recent update: The Yoon Suk-yeol impeachment and new election

Due to recent political turmoil, Korea is about to hold a special presidential election in June.
After President Yoon declared martial law, the National Assembly quickly impeached him, and now he’s on trial for abuse of power.

This means Korea’s electoral system is once again being tested—but also proving how strong democracy has become here.
When a president oversteps, the people and the system push back.


🎭 Fun Fact

Korean elections are full of creative campaign strategies—candidates do dance routines, wear cartoon costumes, and use catchy jingles to appeal to voters.
It’s politics meets K-pop sometimes!

So when you see a Korean election, you're not just watching politics—you’re watching a country that fought hard for democracy putting that freedom into action.

Every vote is a reminder: the people are in charge now.

🗳️ 누가 투표하고, 누가 출마하나요?

  • 만 18세 이상 국민은 누구나 투표할 수 있습니다.

  • 만 25세 이상이면 국회의원이나 지방선거 출마 가능합니다.

  • 해외에 사는 한국인도 공관에서 투표할 수 있어요.

🧭 한국의 주요 선거 4가지

  1. 대통령 선거

    • 5년에 한 번, 국민이 직접 대통령을 뽑습니다.

    • 재선 불가, 한 번만 할 수 있어요.

    • 한국에서 가장 뜨거운 선거입니다.

  2. 국회의원 선거 (총선)

    • 4년에 한 번 실시됩니다.

    • 지역구 253명 + 비례대표 47명 = 총 300명.

    • 투표는 2표제: 후보 1표 + 정당 1표

  3. 지방선거

    • 광역시장, 도지사, 구청장, 시·도의원 등을 뽑습니다.

    • 대통령 선거 2년 후에 실시돼요.

  4. 보궐선거

    • 공석이 생기면 실시되는 특별 선거입니다.


🧮 투표 방식은?

  • 종이 투표를 사용합니다.

  • 투표소도 많고, 투표 집계는 몇 시간 안에 완료됩니다.

  • 개표 방송은 스포츠 중계처럼 실시간으로 방송되기도 해요.


📅 투표일은 언제?

  • 항상 수요일이며, 공휴일입니다.

  • 회사, 학교, 연예계도 멈춰요.

  • 투표 인증샷은 한국인의 문화예요—자부심의 상징!


🗳️ 최근 이슈: 윤석열 대통령 탄핵과 조기 대선

최근 윤석열 대통령이 계엄령을 선포한 뒤 국회에서 탄핵되었고,
현재 재판 중입니다.

그래서 오는 6월에 조기 대선이 실시됩니다.
이 사건은 한국의 선거제도와 민주주의가 얼마나 빠르게 작동하고 있는지를 보여줘요.
대통령이 권한을 남용하면, 국민과 제도가 즉시 대응하는 것, 그게 한국의 민주주의입니다.