The National Election Commission starts the preliminary registration process for the 18^th Presidential election from April 23 (240 days before the election day). The Presidential election will be held on December 19 in 2012.

A person who wants to become a preliminary candidate should submit a 60 million KRW deposit (20/100 of 300 million KRW: the deposit for presidential candidate) and documents required to register to the NEC: including documents for candidate eligibility such as an abstract of resident register; criminal records; and formal academic background.

A person who is restricted from becoming a candidate due to his/her post should resign from his/her position before registering as a preliminary presidential candidate. However, an incumbent National Assembly member can make the registration as retaining his/her position.

Preliminary candidates who have completed the registration process are allowed to conduct following election campaigns:

l  Establishing an election campaign office; installing or posting signboards, tablets or hanging placards at the said election campaign office;

l  Distributing name cards that state his/her own name, photograph, telephone number, academic background, career and other matters necessary for publicity;

l  Wearing shoulder sashes or putting on marks showing that he/she is a preliminary candidate;

l  Direct conversation with voters by using telephones;

l  Sending one kind of campaign material by mail (in the number corresponding to not more than 10/100 of the households located within the constituency; announced quantity as of April 10: 2,013,368)

l  Producing one kind of preliminary candidate''s election promise book and sell those in an ordinary manner (except door-to-door sales).

The election expense limit for the Presidential election has been announced and the preliminary registration has started. Therefore, the NEC plans to provide political parties and others with guidance of electoral laws and carry out intensive law-enforcement activities on election crimes in order to prevent violations of electoral laws.

Meanwhile, the total number of registered preliminary candidates for the 17^th Presidential election is 186. The deposit was not required for them at that time.

<Time table for the 18^th Presidential election>

l  Submission of application for overseas voter registration or overseas absentee application : from July 22, 2012 to October 20, 2012

l  Persons who are restricted from becoming candidates should resign their post by September 20, 2012

l  Preparation of the Voters List and Absentee Voters List / Application Period for Absentee Voting : from November 21, 2012 to November 25, 2012

l  Candidate Registration : from November 25, 2012 to November 26, 2012

l  Overseas Voting : from December 5, 2012 to December 10, 2012

l  Voting and Counting : December 19, 2012