[Fact Check] Can a Resident of Gyeonggi-do Become the Mayor of Seoul?

People from Suwon, Goyang, and Seongnam can run for Seoul National Assembly seats... Seoul mayor candidates must meet 60-day resident registration requirement

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] It may seem that any citizen of the Republic of Korea who dreams of becoming an elected public official can run for election if they have the ability and qualifications, but the reality is different. Very young people cannot become candidates even if they want to.

For example, if Mr. A, who just entered university this year at age 20, wants to lead change in real politics and prepare to run in the 22nd general election, can he achieve his dream? In 2024, when the 22nd general election will be held, Mr. A will be 23 years old. Due to the ‘age restriction,’ Mr. A cannot become a candidate for the National Assembly.

Article 16 (Eligibility for Election) Paragraph 2 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that “citizens aged 25 or older have the eligibility to be elected as members of the National Assembly.” This means that to run for the National Assembly, one must be at least 25 years old.

Then, can a person living in Gyeonggi-do become a member of the National Assembly for Seoul? It seems unreasonable for a Gyeonggi-do resident living in Suwon, Goyang, or Seongnam to dream of becoming a National Assembly member for Jongno or Gangnam in Seoul.

This is because it is commonly perceived that a person who wants to become a National Assembly member for Jongno would ‘naturally’ live somewhere in Jongno and be well aware of the local issues there.

On the 13th, the 7th nationwide local elections and the by-elections for the National Assembly were held. Election staff are counting votes at the counting center set up at Myongji College in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

In fact, in the 21st general election in 2020, the Democratic Party candidate Lee Nak-yeon and the United Future Party candidate Hwang Kyo-ahn, who faced off against each other, both resided in Jongno and expanded their rapport with local residents.

Even considering vote-getting strategies, it is natural for a Jongno resident to want to become a National Assembly member for Jongno. However, in reality, a person from Bundang or Ilsan in Gyeonggi-do, not a Seoul resident, can run for the Jongno district National Assembly election and, if they get enough votes, can be elected.

Similarly, people living in Busan, Daegu, or Gwangju can be elected as National Assembly members in any district in Seoul. There are no separate regional restrictions related to candidacy for the National Assembly as long as the candidate is at least 25 years old.

What about local government head elections? Similar to the case of National Assembly members, is it possible for a person from Gyeonggi-do to be elected as the mayor of Seoul?

Attention should be paid to Article 16 (Eligibility for Election) Paragraph 3 of the Public Official Election Act. Unlike National Assembly elections, local government heads (including local council members) must reside in the relevant area. Additionally, there is an age restriction that only those aged 25 or older have eligibility.

According to Article 16 Paragraph 3 of the Public Official Election Act, “Citizens aged 25 or older who have been continuously registered as residents in the jurisdiction of the relevant local government for at least 60 days as of the election day have eligibility to be elected as local government heads.”

On the 13th, the 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections and the by-elections for the National Assembly were held. Citizens are voting at a polling station set up at Jamsin Elementary School in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

This means that to become the mayor of Seoul, one must live in Seoul. What if a person living in Gyeonggi-do, Busan, Daegu, or Gwangju moves to Seoul in early March? Even if they move their residence to Seoul before the candidate registration period held on March 18 and 19, they cannot run for mayor of Seoul.

This is because they must have been continuously registered as a Seoul resident for at least 60 days before the scheduled Seoul mayoral by-election on April 7 to be eligible to run. Moving the address to Seoul in March would not satisfy the 60-day requirement.

A person from another region who wants to run for mayor of Seoul must move their resident registration address to Seoul by at least February 7 and continue to reside there. If a person from Gyeonggi-do moves to Seoul and maintains resident registration by February 7, running for mayor of Seoul is not impossible.

However, if a person who still has their resident registration address in Gyeonggi-do at the candidate registration period (March 18?19) tries to run for mayor of Seoul, their candidacy will be blocked due to disqualification under the Public Official Election Act.

The claim that “a person living in Gyeonggi-do can become mayor of Seoul” depends on the timing of the address change and is therefore judged to be ‘half true.’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.