IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: South Korea

Republic of Korea

51,339,238
Population (as of Feb. 8, 2019)

44,391,871
Registered Voters (as of June 3, 2025)

66.62%
Average Turnout

14
Elections in our database

V-Dem* Score: 0.729
Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Democracy
*Varieties of Democracy Electoral Democracy Index (2024)

CEDAW Status: Signed and Ratified
Signed Date: May 25, 1983
Ratified Date: Dec. 27, 1984

SIGI* Score: 19.8
Level of Discrimination: Very Low
*Social Institutions and Gender Index (2023)

CRPD Status: Signed and Ratified
Signed Date: March 30, 2007
Ratified Date: Dec. 11, 2008

HDI* Score: 0.937
Category: Very High
*UNDP Human Development Index (2023)

Name	Official Name	Type
South Korean Presidency	None	Head of State & Government
South Korean National Assembly	Kukhoe	Assembly

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: President YOON Suk Yeol (since 10 May 2022)
Head of Government: Prime Minister HAN Duck-soo (since 21 May 2022)
Assembly: South Korea has a unicameral National Assembly (Kukhoe) with 300 seats.

*President PARK Geun-hye was impeached on 9 December 2016 by the National Assembly.

Description of electoral system:

The President is elected by plurality vote to serve a 5-year term.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament.
In the National Assembly (Kukhoe), 246 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 54 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms. In order to gain representation in the ordinal tier, parties must obtain either three percent of the national vote or at least five seats in the nominal tier.

Elections

2025-06-03 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 35,236,497
Registered 44,391,871
Turnout 79.38

2024-04-10 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 29,654,450
Registered 44,280,011
Turnout 66.97

2022-03-09 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 34,067,853
Registered 44,197,692
Turnout 77.08

2020-04-15 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 29,127,637
Registered 43,994,247
Turnout 66.21

2017-05-09 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 32,807,908
Registered 42,479,710
Turnout 77.23

2016-04-13 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 24,430,746
Registered 42,100,398
Turnout 58.03

2012-12-19 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 30,721,459
Registered 40,507,842
Turnout 75.84

2012-04-11 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 21,802,240
Registered 40,205,055
Turnout 54.23

2008-04-09 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 17,389,206
Registered 37,796,035
Turnout 46.01

2007-12-19 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 23,732,854
Registered 37,653,518
Turnout 63.03

2004-04-15 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 21,351,340
Registered 35,596,497
Turnout 59.98

2002-12-19 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 24,784,963
Registered 34,991,529
Turnout 70.83

2000-04-13 | Status: Held
South Korean National Assembly
Votes 19,156,515
Registered 33,482,387
Turnout 57.21

1997-12-18 | Status: Held
South Korean Presidency
Votes 26,042,633
Registered 32,290,416
Turnout 80.65

Election For	Date	Status	Votes	Registered Voters	Turnout
South Korean Presidency	2025-06-03	Held	35,236,497	44,391,871	79.38
South Korean National Assembly	2024-04-10	Held	29,654,450	44,280,011	66.97
South Korean Presidency	2022-03-09	Held	34,067,853	44,197,692	77.08
South Korean National Assembly	2020-04-15	Held	29,127,637	43,994,247	66.21
South Korean Presidency	2017-05-09	Held	32,807,908	42,479,710	77.23
South Korean National Assembly	2016-04-13	Held	24,430,746	42,100,398	58.03
South Korean Presidency	2012-12-19	Held	30,721,459	40,507,842	75.84
South Korean National Assembly	2012-04-11	Held	21,802,240	40,205,055	54.23
South Korean National Assembly	2008-04-09	Held	17,389,206	37,796,035	46.01
South Korean Presidency	2007-12-19	Held	23,732,854	37,653,518	63.03
South Korean National Assembly	2004-04-15	Held	21,351,340	35,596,497	59.98
South Korean Presidency	2002-12-19	Held	24,784,963	34,991,529	70.83
South Korean National Assembly	2000-04-13	Held	19,156,515	33,482,387	57.21
South Korean Presidency	1997-12-18	Held	26,042,633	32,290,416	80.65

Voter Turnout

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