NEC Urges Revision of the Public Official Election Act Regarding the Delimitation of Boundaries for Local Council Elections

= Calls on related regulations to be revised as soon as possible ahead of preliminary registration for Si/Do council and Gu/Si/Gun council elections =

During a meeting of the full Commission on January 15, the National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea expressed its concern that the constituency boundaries for Si/Do council and Gu/Si/Gun council elections can not be confirmed due to the delays in the revision of the Public Official Election Act and urged the relevant regulations to be revised as soon as possible.

The NEC announced that, in order to prevent confusion for preliminary candidates and voters, the constituencies should be confirmed as soon as possible, especially considering the announcement of election expense limits will be February 3 and provisional candidate registration for the relevant elections begins on March 2.  

The boundary drafts have not been submitted to the relevant mayor or governor by the December 13, 2017 deadline set by law because the number of Si/Do council constituencies and the total number of SI/Do and Gu/Si/Gun councilors to be elected have not been confirmed. 

For the last nationwide simultaneous local elections in 2014, the revision of the public election law was delayed causing confusion in the election schedule, including the preliminary candidate registration dates for Si/Do council and Gu/Si/Gun council elections, which were postponed from February 21 to March 2. 

The NEC expressed regret that delays in boundary delimitation have occurred before every local election, and requested stakeholders to be more attentive and focused, including the National Assembly, so that the related laws will will revised soon.​