Presidential Election, 3 June 2025

On 3 June 2025, South Korea held a snap presidential election following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol by the National Assembly on 14 December 2024 and his subsequent removal from office by the Constitutional Court on 4 April 2025 (IFES 2025).  

The election was administered by the independent National Election Commission (NEC), which is composed of nine commissioners appointed from all three branches of government (NEC n.d.). South Korea employs a single-round plurality voting system (first-past-the-post), and the president serves a single, non-renewable five-year term (IFES 2025). As this election followed an impeachment, the winner assumed office immediately upon NEC certification, bypassing the standard two-month transition period (Kim and Park 2025).   

The election featured four main candidates, all male—marking the first all-male presidential ballot since 2007. This prompted public criticism and renewed focus on gender inequality in South Korean politics and society (Ji-Eun 2025). 

Early voting took place on 29–30 May 2025, with 34.74 per cent of voters participating, one of the highest early turnout rates in South Korean history (Lee 2025). During this period voters were permitted to cast ballots at any polling station nationwide, without pre-registration, by presenting a government-issued ID and verifying their identity through fingerprint or signature authentication (Soo-Jung 2025).

Out-of-country voting ran for six days, with more than 258,000 registered South Korean nationals eligible to vote at 223 polling stations in 118 countries (Seung-yeon 2025). Regarding accessibility, 94.5 per cent of polling stations were reported to be wheelchair accessible, and all six presidential candidates submitted voter information booklets in both Braille and digital formats (Hae-rin 2025). However, disability rights organizations noted that further efforts are needed to enhance the quality and consistency of resources available to voters with disabilities—for example, ensuring file formats are compatible with text-to-speech (Hae-rin 2025). 

The campaign period was marked by heightened security and information challenges. Frontrunner Lee Jae-myung campaigned in a bulletproof vest due to credible threats, including an alleged assassination plot under investigation by authorities (Matiaszczyk 2025). The campaign was further challenged by a wave of online misinformation, including manipulated images falsely linking Lee to communist affiliations and unfounded rumours about overseas voting fraud. The government responded with coordinated fact-checking efforts and public rebuttals (Shim 2025). 

Although early voting was largely well implemented, there were isolated instances of poor ballot management. At a polling station in western Seoul, some voters were observed taking ballots outside the premises, raising concerns over ballot security and chain-of-custody procedures (Soo-yeon 2025). Additionally, an election worker was apprehended for allegedly casting a vote on behalf of her husband, a violation of voting integrity rules (Soo-yeon 2025). 

Voter turnout was 79.38 per cent, the highest for a presidential election since 1997 (International IDEA n.d.). The election resulted in a change in government, with Lee Jae-myung of the opposition Democratic Party securing a decisive victory with 49.4 per cent of the vote, marking a transition from conservative to liberal leadership (IFES 2025). 

Innovations

Ahead of the vote, authorities introduced a series of electoral reforms aimed at countering AI-driven misinformation and safeguarding electoral integrity. A key development was the amendment of the Political Relations Act, which prohibits the use of deepfake content in political campaigning within 90 days of an election. Violations are punishable by up to seven years in prison or fines of up to 50 million won (approx. USD $38,000) (Yeon Eom 2024). 

In parallel, South Korea’s largest search engine, Naver, enhanced its content monitoring efforts and launched an Election Disinformation Reporting Centre, enabling users to report misleading AI-generated content in coordination with the NEC (JoongAng 2024). The Central Election Commission clarified that deepfakes aimed at encouraging voter participation are permitted, provided they do not endorse or oppose specific candidates or parties, an approach intended to balance innovation with electoral fairness (Yeon Eom 2024).