= Potential candidates who are in a position that is restricted from running for office such as civil servants should resign their position by January 16 or by March 16 if running in proportional representation member elections =

The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea announced that from January 16, 90 days before the 21st National Assembly elections, legislative activity reports by National Assembly members and local council members and holding publication events involving candidates are restricted. 

In addition, potential candidates who are in a position that is restricted from running for office such as civil servants should resign their position by January 16 if they wish to run in elections for constituency members of the National Assembly. The Public Official Election Act requires that those with a certain position or status resign in a period before election day to ensure fairness in elections. 

The activities that are restricted or prohibited from January 16 are as follows:

Holding Publication Events and Legislative Activity Reports Restricted

• It is prohibited for any person to hold an event on the publication of a book related to the candidate (hereafter also including persons that wish to become candidates).

• National Assembly members or local council members may not make a legislative activities report through rallies, written report, phone calls, or greetings even if it is about their duties as an elected official. 

However, it is possible to post online on a homepage, bulletin board, chat room, or report legislative activity by e-mail or text message at any time.

Restrictions on Advertisements in the Name of Candidates or Appearing in Advertisements

• No person is allowed to advertise writings, entertainment, plays, movies, photos or other articles representing the name of a political party or candidate in a way not prescribed by the Public Official Election Act.

• Candidates are not allowed to appear in broadcasting, newspapers, magazines and other advertisements.

Those Prohibited from Running for Public Office, Including Civil Servants 

• Civil servants, full-time executives at government-invested institutions, local government owned companies, public local companies and journalists as designated by the Public Official Election Management Regulations must resign by January 16 if they want to run in elections for constituency members of the National Assembly, or by March 16 if they want to run in elections for proportional representation members of the National Assembly.

However, if an incumbent member of the National Assembly wishes to run for another term they do not need to resign.

Resignations by Persons Intending to be a Campaign Official 

• Heads of Tong/Ri/Ban, members of residents’ councils and company leaders in the reserve army or above must resign their position by January 16 to work as a campaign official, for example as a election campaign manager, election liaison officer, campaign staffer, campaign assistant for candidates or preliminary candidates, campaign treasurer, speaker for a campaign, campaign debater, election observer or early voting election observer. 

In the case of members of residents’ councils, they are not allowed to return to their previous posts until the election day, but all other persons may not return to their posts within six months after election day. 

The NEC requested that political parties, candidates and voters be aware of the different timeline of the restricted or prohibited activities as stipulated in the Public Official Election Act so there are no cases of people violating the law out of ignorance. 

Enquiries regarding the election can be made by calling 1390 without an area code, or can be made via the election law portal site (http://law.nec.go.kr) or mobile app.​