At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of South Korea 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: Prime Minister HAN Duck-soo (since 14 December 2024) 

• Note: The President serves as both Chief of State and Head of Government, but the current Prime Minister is serving in this capacity due to the removal of ex-President YOON from office. 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister HAN Duck-soo (since 14 December 2024) 

• Assembly: unicameral 300-seat National Assembly (대한민국 국회 ) 

Electoral System: 

• The President is directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single five-year term.  

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President with the consent of the National Assembly. 

• 254 members of the National Assembly are directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote. The remaining 46 members are elected in a single national constituency. All 300 members serve 4-year terms. 

Last Election: 

The last Presidential election in South Korea was held on March 9, 2022. YOON Suk-yeol won 48.6% of the vote and LEE Jae-myung won 47.8%. Two other candidates received less than 3% of the vote. Voter turnout was 77%.  

Information for Voters: 

제21대 대통령선거, 나에게 맞는 투표 방법은? / 21st Presidential Election: What is the Right Voting Method for Me? (in Korean) 

New/Unique in this Election: 

In December 2024, then-President YOON Suk Yeol declared martial law and sent troops to surround the National Assembly in an attempt to seize further control of the government. The National Assembly voted to suspend martial law several hours later, and in April 2025, the Constitutional Court removed Yoon from office, triggering a snap presidential election. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 11 May 2025 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; voter registration is passive. 

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• LEE Jae-myung / 이재명 

• • Party: Democratic Party of Korea / 더불어민주당 

• KIM Moon-soo / 김문수 

• • Party: People Power Party / 국민의힘 

• LEE Jun-seok / 이준석 

• • Party: Reform Party / 개혁신당 

• KWON Yeong-guk / 권영국 

• • Party: Democratic Labor Party / 민주노동당 

• KOO Joo-wa / 구주와 

• • Party: Liberty Reunification Party / 자유통일당 

• SONG Jin-ho / 황교안 

• • Independent candidate  

• HWANG Kyo-ahn / 송진호 

• • Independent candidate  

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 51,712,619 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 44,197,692 (2022 est.) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 25,898,790 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 25 May 1983, 27 December 1984 

• Gender Quota: Yes, legislated quotas, where parties must ensure 50% of their nominees are women.   

• Female Candidates in this election: No 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 61 out of 300 members of the National Assembly 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.929, Very High (2022 est.) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 19.8% (2025 est.) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, 11 December 2008 

• Projected population with a disability: 8,274,019 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: Yes, 6 judgments