Election Campaigning Starts on the 25th... What to Avoid When Volunteering

On the 23rd, ahead of the Seoul mayoral by-election, an election commission official is conducting a mock vote at a special early voting station set up at the Seoul Youth Hostel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The National Election Commission announced on the 24th that the campaign period for the by-elections and re-elections held on April 7 will be from the 25th of this month to the 6th of next month, and that election campaigning can be freely conducted by methods not restricted by the Public Official Election Act.

Candidates, their spouses, election managers, and election staff can campaign using sashes, upper garments, badges, and other accessories. Additionally, campaigning using printed materials, facilities, public speeches and debates, and media outlets in ways prescribed by law is also permitted.

General voters who can campaign are allowed to continuously campaign using the internet, electronic mail (including SNS), and text messages, and except on election day, they can appeal for support for specific parties or candidates through speech or telephone calls.

In the case of using printed materials and facilities, if election posters and election bulletins are prepared and submitted to the Election Commission, the Commission will post the election posters at designated locations and send election bulletins to each household. Candidates, their spouses and direct ascendants and descendants, and election managers and staff accompanying the candidate can distribute the candidate’s business cards and post banners within twice the number of towns, townships, and neighborhoods in the electoral district.

Candidates and designated persons among election managers, election office heads, election staff, or others authorized to campaign can use vehicles and loudspeakers to give speeches and debates in public places.

Candidates and others may temporarily attend indoor meetings held by others to give speeches and debates. Only for metropolitan government head elections, newspaper and broadcast advertisements are allowed, and only for local government head elections, broadcast speeches using TV and radio are permitted.

In all elections, candidates can advertise for election campaigning on the websites of internet media companies, and can send text messages via automatic simultaneous communication methods or entrust electronic mail transmission to electronic mail transmission agencies.

Voters who can campaign may appeal for support for parties or candidates through speech or telephone calls, campaign using the internet, electronic mail (including SNS), and text messages, and may also participate as volunteers for candidates.

However, campaigning using sashes, hats or clothes of the same shape and color, badges, placards, or other accessories is prohibited, and volunteers cannot demand or receive allowances or reimbursements as compensation. Taking photos of ballots inside voting booths or posting them on SNS is prohibited. Sharing or spreading posts on SNS that defame candidates or contain false information may also violate the law.

For 18-year-old voters (born before April 8, 2003) who have the right to vote for the first time in this by-election and re-election, they must have reached the age of 18 at the time of campaigning to be able to campaign.

Political parties cannot conduct ordinary party activities promoting their policies or political issues using facilities during the election period, so banners and other materials already posted in the by-election districts must be removed by March 24.

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