At Stake in this Election:        

• The Office of the President of the Republic of Korea. 

Government Structure: 

• Chief of State: President MOON Jae-in (since 10 May 2017) 
• Head of Government: President MOON Jae-in (since 10 May 2017) 
• Assembly: The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea (Daehanminguk Gukhoe or Kuk Hoe / 대한민국 국회 大韓民國 國會) is a unicameral legislature consisting of 300 seats. 

Electoral System: 

• The President of the Republic of Korea is elected to a five-year term using a single round plurality voting system and is limited to serving a single term. [1]
• The National Assembly (Kuk Hoe) is a unicameral institution consisting of 300 seats, of which 253 are directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote. The remaining 47 seats are elected in a single national constituency using a system of proportional representation.* All members of the National Assembly serve four-year terms. [2]

* The method of seat distribution for the 47 members determined by proportional representation was amended following the passage of an electoral reform bill on 27 December 2019. [3] Thirty of those seats are now determined using a new compensatory system, while the remaining seats continue to be decided by the parallel voting systems that had existed prior to the reform. [4] The reform is expected to boost the presence of minor parties in the National Assembly and has consequently attracted backlash from main parties. [5]

Last Election: 

• The last elections in the Republic of Korea were held on 15 April 2020 for the National Assembly (Kuk Hoe), while the last presidential elections were held on 9 May 2017. 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Candidate: LEE Jae-myung 
  • Party: Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) / 더불어민주당 
• Candidate: YOON Suk-yeol 
  • Party: People Power Party (PPP) / 국민의힘 
• Candidate: SIM Sang-jung  
  • Party: Justice Party / 정의당 
• Candidate: AHN Cheol-soo 
  • Party: People Party / 국민의당 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 51,715,162 (July 2021 est.) [6] 
• Registered Voters: 43,994,247 (April 2020) [7]

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 25,791,849 (July 2021 est.) [8]
• Is South Korea a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (25 May 1983) [9]
• Has South Korea ratified CEDAW: Yes (27 December 1984) [10] 
• Gender Quota: Yes, there are legislated gender quotas. Half of all candidates nominated for seats determined by list proportional representation and 30 percent of candidates running in single-seat constituencies must be women. [11]
• Female candidates in this election: One of the four major candidates is a woman. 
• Number of Female Legislators: 57 out of 300 seats are held by women. [12]
• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: Rank 23 at 0.916 (2020) [13]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low [14]

Disability Data: 

• Is South Korea a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007) [15]
• Has South Korea ratified CRPD: Yes (11 December 2008) [16]
• Population with a disability: 7,367,279 (2022 est.) [17]

​

[1] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-south/#government

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191227000617

[4] https://keia.org/the-peninsula/how-does-south-koreas-new-election-system-work/ 

[5] https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20191227003852315

[6] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-south/#people-and-society

[7] https://www.nec.go.kr/site/eng/ex/bbs/View.do?cbIdx=1270&bcIdx=18737

[8] https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/korea-south/#people-and-society

[9] https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?Treaty=CEDAW&Lang=en

[10] Ibid.

[11] https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/gender-quotas/country-view/163/35

[12] Ibid.

[13] https://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/KOR

[14] https://www.genderindex.org/country-profiles/

[15] https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/TreatyBodyExternal/Treaty.aspx?CountryID=176&Lang=EN

[16] Ibid.

[17] http://www.electionaccess.org/en/resources/countries/kr/all/