The NEC announced that the April 27 by-elections shall be held in 38 electoral districts. By types of elections, there will be three elections for National Assembly members, one for the head of Si/Do government, six for the heads of Gu/Si/Gun governments, five for Si/Do local council members, and twenty-three for Gu/Si/Gun local council members.

Vacancies for National Assembly members occurred in such districts as: Seongnam Bundang(B), due to the resignation of the predecessor; Suncheon-si and Gimhae-si(B) due to the forfeiture of electoral eligibility of the sitting National Assembly members

The by-elections in local governments and councils will be held for the following causes: twenty-four elections as the elections results were made invalid; five elections due to the death of the elected; two elections due to the forfeiture of electoral eligibility; and four elections because of resignation.

The by-elections of April 27 are to fill the vacant seats that have occurred from 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2011. For the seats that would become vacant from 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011, the by-elections will be held on 26 October 2011.

For the National Assembly seats that would be made vacant after April, the remaining term of office is less than a year -from the election to the expiration of the term- so the by-elections to fill the vacancy might not be held, according to Article 201 of the Public Official Election Act.

Meanwhile, the NEC said that it filed charges against five cases to the prosecution, brought two cases to the prosecuting authority for further investigation, and issued warnings to twenty-once cases (as of March 31). It reaffirmed its commitment to taking strong actions on electoral law violations, while stepping up its efforts to give advance election-related information and take preventive actions.

For instance, in order to raise voters’ awareness of the by-elections and encourage their participation, the NEC has implemented various measures, including the operation of a ‘Voter Participation Promotion Team’, a mock election for young potential voters, and the operation of website promoting the by-elections, among others.

Detailed information about the schedule of the April 27 by-elections and the process of registering as preliminary candidates, etc., is accessible on the NEC website, and through a nationwide toll-free number 1390.