= Around 150 democracy and election experts gather to discuss three important issues =

The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea held the 2017 Seoul International Forum on Elections at the Mayfield Hotel on May 7, 2017 to discuss three of the most important topics related to democracy and elections.

Around 150 participants, including election officials from around the world participating in various training programs related to the 19th presidential election, international organizations and election stakeholders and members of the public from Korea.

The forum was opened with remarks by the Chairperson of the NEC Kim Yong-deok and in addition the Speaker of the National Assembly Chung Sye-kyun, the Canadian Ambassador to Korea Eric Walsh and the Secretary General of Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) Kim Yong-Hi gave congratulatory remarks.  The forum was then split into three sessions, which each had their own topic, which were as follows:

1. Current Trends and Measures to Develop Policy-focused Elections

2. Expanding the Freedom of Expression in Politics: Potential Measures and Challenges

3. Improving Civic Participation in Politics and Elections for the Development of Democracy

The structure of the forum was a mixture of presentations and Q&As. Each session invited experts chosen for their knowledge and experience in the given topic gave presentations on their view and then answered questions from the other gathered participants. 

This year was the largest Seoul International Forum on Elections since its inception in April 2011. The annual forum is now growing into an important event on the international calendar of international democracy and election academic calendar. 

This forum is part of the NEC’s efforts to continue to be an active member in the international community of election management bodies and to encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience between those working and studying in the field of democracy and elections. We look forward to continuing to hold this important event and work with our partners to improve election management around the world.