General Election
Overview
A general election (총선, chongseon) is an election in which all members making up the legislature are chosen at once, and it usually refers to a National Assembly election. Unlike presidential or local elections, it carries a strong character as a midterm assessment of the sitting government, and its outcome determines the majority force in the legislature and the direction of state administration going forward. In South Korea, the National Assembly election held every four years is the representative general election, and because it is often held during a presidential term, it also performs the function of a quasi-midterm election.
Key Details
Concept and Usage
'General election' means 'an election covering the whole' and corresponds to the English-language concept of a general election. However, in the Anglosphere, general election often refers to the main election in which the president, Senate, and House are elected together, while elections held during a term are classified separately as midterm elections. In Korea, since the Constitutional Assembly election, the practice of calling the election of all National Assembly members a general election has taken root, and the media and political circles frequently refer to such elections with a date attached, as in the 'April 10 general election' or the 'June 3 general election.'
General Elections in South Korea
- Term: 4 years (National Assembly members)
- Seats: 300 (253 district seats + 47 proportional representation seats)
- Suffrage: citizens aged 18 or older
- Eligibility: aged 18 or older (since the 2020 amendment to the Public Official Election Act)
- Electoral system: a combination of single-member districts (first-past-the-post) and a hybrid proportional representation system
Starting with the 1948 Constitutional Assembly election, a total of 22 general elections have been held through the 22nd in 2024. The 13th general election, held after democratization in 1987, is regarded as the first competitive election between ruling and opposition parties; the 17th general election in 2004 is cited as a case in which the ruling party secured a majority amid a presidential impeachment situation; and the 20th general election in 2016 is frequently cited as the election that produced a structure of a small ruling party and a large opposition. In the 21st general election in 2020, the Democratic Party of Korea won a landslide with 180 seats, and in the 22nd general election in 2024, the opposition camp retained a majority.
General Elections in Major Countries
- United Kingdom: House of Commons general election (usually every 5 years). In the July 2024 general election, the Labour Party won a landslide, and the government changed for the first time in 14 years.
- United States: The midterm elections (every 2 years), which elect the entire federal House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate, correspond to a general election.
- Japan: House of Representatives general election (4-year term, subject to dissolution). In the October 2024 House of Representatives election, the Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority.
- France: National Assembly general election (5 years). Early general elections were held in June–July 2024, and the left-wing coalition became the largest force.
- Germany: Bundestag election (4 years). Early general elections were held in February 2025.
Electoral Systems and Issues
General election systems always face the problem of balancing representativeness (proportionality) with governability and stability. Single-member districts tend to produce a stable majority centered on districts but generate many wasted votes, while proportional representation reflects a party's vote share in seats but can lead to a proliferation of parties and political instability. Korea introduced a hybrid proportional representation system in 2020, but critics argued that large parties created satellite parties, nullifying the intent of the system. Other perennial points of debate include district delimitation and population disparities, the equality of the value of votes, the expansion of early voting and overseas citizens' voting, and whether to introduce multi-member districts or runoff voting.
Political Functions of General Elections
A general election is a key mechanism for operating checks and balances on the executive branch. The ruling force seeks a mandate for its administration through the general election, while the opposition confirms its support base as a checking force. General elections also function as indicators revealing the reorganization of the party system, the emergence of new political agendas, and changes in voting behavior by generation, region, and class.
Latest Trends
2024 was a so-called 'super election year,' in which more than half of the world's population went to the polls. South Korea held the 22nd National Assembly election on April 10, 2024, with a tentative turnout of 67.0%, the highest level since the 14th general election in 1992 (71.9%). The vote count gave the Democratic Party of Korea and the Democratic United Party 175 seats, the People Power Party and the People Future Party 108 seats, the Rebuilding Korea Party 12 seats, the New Reform Party 3 seats, the New Future Party 1 seat, and independents 1 seat, continuing the structure of a small ruling party and a large opposition; the broader opposition camp secured around 190 seats, forming a strong checking arrangement. During the election process, the satellite party controversy reignited under the hybrid proportional representation system, and the fairness of district delimitation and the candidate nomination process also emerged as major issues.
Major general elections also continued overseas. In the United Kingdom, the Labour Party won a landslide in the July 2024 general election and changed the government, and in France, the political landscape was reshaped through early general elections in June–July of the same year. In Japan, the October 2024 House of Representatives election resulted in the ruling coalition losing its majority. In 2025, Germany held early general elections in February and Canada held a general election in April. South Korea, after the declaration of emergency martial law in December 2024, impeachment, and the Constitutional Court's removal decision in April 2025, held an early presidential election on June 3, 2025; accordingly, changes are expected in the schedule and composition of the June 2026 local elections and the 23rd general election in 2028.
Discussion of institutional reform is also active. Expanding the share of proportional representation, introducing multi-member districts and runoff voting, supplementing the system to prevent satellite parties, improving the operation of early voting, and expanding the representation of youth and minorities are being discussed in the National Assembly and academia. As digital election campaigning and the use of artificial intelligence increase, the need for regulation of the spread of disinformation and the manipulation of public opinion is also being raised.
Related Topics
- [[National Assembly]]
- [[Proportional Representation]]
- [[Presidential Election]]
- [[Local Elections]]
- [[Electoral System]]
- [[Political Party]]