Amendments to Public Official Election Act Passed 

= Aims to Increase the freedom of election campaigning and enhance fairness of election polls. Amendments include allowing internet/email/text message election campaigning anytime and an implementing a election survey organization registration system =

The National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea announced that revisions to the Public Official Election Act submitted by the NEC last year that included provisions to expand the freedom of expression for candidates and voters and guarantee the fairness and credibility of election surveys have passed the National Assembly plenary session on January 20.

The NEC will continuously work on political law revisions to reflect the changing electoral environment and further expand the freedom of election campaigning.

In addition, the NEC said that it will do its best to ensure other pending revisions will pass the National Assembly, including amendments permitting grading the candidate’s policy commitments by media institutions, introducing an audit system for election pledges, and measures for securing the transparency of political funds. 

The main contents of the revisions to the Public Official Election Act are as follows.

Allowing Internet, e-mail, text messaging campaigning at all times

• Internet, e-mail and text message election campaigning are now permitted on election day (revised). 

 ⇨ On election day, a voter may post a photo on social media websites when posing with a ‘V’ sign or ‘thumbs up.’ 

• Election campaigning through text message may now include sound, image, or video (revised).

 ⇨ Increase freedom of election campaigning utilizing various contents.

• Even if the number of people targeted by election campaigning and selected automatically using a program is 20 or less, the campaign will fall under the automatic communication regulations (revised).

 ⇨ Significant reduction of election campaigning text messages received by indiscriminate voters

Enhance the impartiality and objectivity of election surveys, including the introduction of an election survey organization registration system

• Only organizations registered with National Election Survey Deliberation Commission can publish or report election surveys (addition).

 ⇨ Strengthens the expertise of election polling agencies in order to prevent unreliable polling organizations.

• Provide incentives such as discounts on phone or internet bills to election survey respondents (addition).

 ⇨ Ensure reliability by increasing active participation in surveys and raising the response rate.

• Prohibit the publishing or reporting of election survey results conducted by candidates, potential candidates or political parties (addition).

 ⇨ Ensure the objectivity and credibility of election survey results.

• Candidates may undertake four election surveys of which the cost is not included in the campaign expense limit within the campaign periods of preliminary candidate and candidate combined. However, from the fifth survey onwards, the election survey costs count towards the campaign expense limit (addition).

 ⇨ Minimize public inconvenience caused by frequent election polls.

• Prohibit the publishing or reporting of election survey results by organizations that have been accused of malpractice by the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission or who have committed crimes related to election surveys (addition).

 ⇨ Eliminate the risk of illegal election surveys being repeatedly undertaken by sanctioning organizations conducting illegal election surveys

• Virtual mobile phone numbers can also be used in election surveys published and reported by polling organizations (revised).

 ⇨ Increase the credibility and accuracy by ensuring representativeness of the election survey samples.​