111 election officials from 42 countries and 53 organizations visited the Republic of Korea from May 30 to June 5 to participate in the Election Visitor Program consisting of the observation of June 4 nationwide local elections and the Knowledge Fair.

The Election Visitor Program came after the suggestion to the National Election Commission by the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB).

The participants of the Election Visitor Program included the following:

Chairpersons or presidents, commissioners, and staff of the Election Management Body in each country;

Officials from such election-related international organizations as IFES, NDI, IRI, OSCE, IDEA, etc. that signed an MOU with A-WEB in April; and

Election officials and professors from the USA, China, Germany, Japan and Russia

The participants observed election campaigns of candidates, starting with the observation of early voting conducted for the first time in elections held at the end of the term of office on May 31.

They visited the NEC on June 1 to observe how June 4 local elections were managed, viewed the Korean Election Photo Exhibition at the Seoul History Museum, and tried out early voting and the optical scan counter.

On June 4, election day, the participants observed not only the entire voting management process including the poll opening/progress/closing but also all the procedures of voting and counting management such as how the ballot boxes were transported to and received at counting centers, counting management process, etc.

In addition, the participants attended the seminars held under the theme of ‘Cases of Early Voting’, ‘How to Eradicate Monetary Election’, ‘Electoral Participation by Vulnerable Social Groups’, ‘Independence of EMB’, ‘Election Management and Use of New Technologies’, etc. for 2days from June 2 to 3.

The NEC, as the Chair of A-WEB joined by 97 EMBs of 94 countries, expressed its determination to constantly promote projects for improving the election law and system, supporting the advancement of election and strengthening the capacity of election officials as well as actively engage in international exchanges just like the Election Visitor Program for the settlement of democracy and advancement of election in transitional democracies.

Note: Relevant documents and photos will be available on the NEC & A-WEB websites once they are ready for upload.