Gender Quotas Database
Korea, Republic of
Eastern Asia
Single / Lower House
Kuk Hoe / National Assembly
| Total seats | 299 |
| Total women | 57 |
| Percentage of women | 19% |
| Election year | 2020 |
| Electoral system | MMP |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
(Nomination of Candidates by Political Parties) (4) When any political party intends to nominate its members as candidates to run in an election of constituency members of the National Assembly and in an election of constituency members of local councils after their terms of office expire, such political party shall endeavor to nominate not less than 30/100 of the total number of the candidates to run in the election for nationwide constituencies from among women. (Article 47) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
(Nullification of Registration) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
(Nomination of Candidates by Political Parties) |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Yes |
Subsidies for female candidates running for election as National Assembly member, City/Do council members, or autonomous Gu/Si/Gun council members available. (1) The State shall include an amount obtained by multiplying 100 won by the total number of eligible voters in the most recently held election for National Assembly members at the expiration of their terms of office, in the budget of the year during which an election for National Assembly members, an election for City/Do council members, or an election for autonomous Gu/Si/Gun council members is held at the expiration of their terms of office as subsidies for payment to political parties that field female candidates to run in an election for constituency National Assembly members, an election for constituency City/Do council members, or an election for constituency autonomous Gu/Si/Gun council members (hereinafter referred to as "subsidies for fielding female candidates"). See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | Yes, funds earmarked for gender activities |
(2) Every political party that is paid the ordinary subsidies shall use at least 30/100 of such ordinary subsidies for its policy development institute (referring to the policy development institute provided for in the provisions of Article 38 of the Political Parties Act; hereinafter the same shall apply), distribute and pay at least 10/100 thereof to its City/Do party branch offices and use at least 10/100 thereof for the development of female politics. See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
(Nomination of Candidates by Political Parties) (4) When any political party intends to nominate its members as candidates to run in an election of constituency members of the National Assembly and in an election of constituency members of local councils after their terms of office expire, such political party shall endeavor to nominate not less than 30/100 of the total number of the candidates to run in the election for nationwide constituencies from among women. (5) When any political party intends to nominate its members as candidates to run in an election of constituency members of local councils after their terms of office expire, such political party shall nominate not less than one woman as a candidate to run in an election, from among either of an election of constituency members of City/Do councils or an election of constituency members of autonomous Gu/Si/Gun councils for each constituency for electing a member to the National Assembly (excluding Gun regions, and when some parts of autonomous Gus combine with other autonomous Gus or military regions, becoming a constituency for electing a member to the National Assembly, the relevant parts of such autonomous Gus are excluded). (Article 47) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
(Registration of Candidates) |
| Rank order/placement rules | Electoral law |
(Nomination of Candidates by Political Parties) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Income Party | 기본소득당 |
In order to ensure equal rights of Party members and to realize actual gender equality, 50% of the constituencies for each elected unit in all elected office positions shall be allocated as constituencies in the women's list. (Article 7 of the Party Constitution)At least 1/2 of the candidates for proportional representative National Assembly members shall be women. (Article 33 of the Party Constitution) |
| People Power Party [formerly known as United Future Party] | 국민의힘 |
1. 50% of the elected representatives and electoral colleges of various voting institutions should be women.2. When recommending candidates for various elections (regional districts), 30% should be women.3. 30% women and 20% or more young people when organizing major watch positions and various committees. (Article 6 (6) of the Party Constitution) |
| Transition Korea | 시대전환 |
[The] party is responsible for gender generation in the composition of major party posts and committees at each level of the central party and city / provincial parties , all elected party posts , and the recommendation of candidates for constituency elections for public office elections (except for the recommendation of candidates for the election of local governments). Efforts are being made to achieve a balance between genders and generations. (Article 7 (2) of the Party Constitution). |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The reform of the Political Party Law in 2000 resulted in an increase in the percentage of women elected in the April 2004 elections, rising to 13 per cent, up from 5.9 per cent in the previous elections. Parties that nominate female candidates for the national elections also receive subsidies (Article 26).
"The April (2020) election results show 57 women were elected (19 percent of the 300 seats in parliament), the highest ever since democratization in 1987. The ruling Democratic Party now has 30 female legislators, while the conservative opposition United Future Party has 18. Internationally, however, South Korea ranks 118th in terms of the share of women in the national legislature. South Korea’s National Assembly has two groups of representatives. Voters choose 253 district-level representatives, while 47 national-level seats are distributed proportional to each party’s vote share. Among the 57 female winners of this year’s election, 29 were elected as district-level members, making up 17 percent of the two major parties’ district winners. Since 2004, South Korea has had a 50 percent candidate gender quota for national-level seats. Each party ranks its national-tier candidates before the election, and the two major parties alternate male and female candidates on the list. This system explains why more than half of the newly elected national-level members are women. The 50 percent quota is a great way for political newcomers to start their first term, but they often have a hard time getting reelected. My analysis of 4,111 district-level legislative candidates between 2004 and 2016 in South Korea showed that 11 percent of female candidates were “quota members,” compared with only 1 percent of all male candidates. However, national-tier members have an almost identical chance of winning the district-level election as candidates with no national-level experience" (Young-Im Lee / Washington Post 2020)
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of South Korea - Link
- Election Law - Link
- Political Parties Law - Link
- Local Government Election Law - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of South Korea - Link
- Electoral Commission - Korean/ English
- Young-Im Lee (May 11, 2020) "Five things to know about women and South Korea’s 2020 elections". Washington Post
- Interparliamentary Union [IPU] Parline - Republic of Korea Country Profile
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Republic of Korea on iKNOW Politics
- Kwon, Y. (July 29, 2021). South Korea's struggle with the politics of inclusion. The Diplomat. [Last Accessed: 2021-11-11]
- Shim, J. (2021). Gender and Politics in Northeast Asia: Legislative Patterns and Substantive Representation in Korea and Taiwan, Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, DOI: 10.1080/1554477X.2021.1888677
- Mobrand, E. (2019). On Parties’ Terms: Gender Quota Politics in South Korea’s Mixed Electoral System, Asian Studies Review, 43:1, 114-131, DOI: 10.1080/10357823.2018.1512554
- Kim, W. (2000). ‘The 16th General Elections and Advancement of Women to the National Assembly.’ Korean Women Today. Summer.
- Sun-uk, K. (1995). ‘Meaning of the Quota system as a Policy for Women and its Introduction Methods.’ Women's Studies Forum. 11. pp. 29-54.
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