1980 South Korean presidential election

Indirect presidential elections were held in South Korea on 27 August 1980 to fill the vacancy caused by President Choi Kyu-hah's resignation.

1980 South Korean presidential election

27 August 1980
2,540 Deputies of Reunification Assembly 1,271 votes needed to win
Nominee Chun Doo-hwan Party Independent Electoral vote 2,524
President before election Park Choong-hoon (Acting) Independent Elected President Chun Doo-hwan Independent

Under the 1972 Yushin Constitution, the president was elected by the National Council for Reunification, whose 2,540 members had been elected for a six-year term of office as part of the 1978 presidential elections. General Chun Doo-hwan was the only candidate, and was elected unoposed.[1]

Chun was to serve for the remainder of the 1978–1984 term of longtime president Park Chung-hee, who had died in 1979 and been replaced by Choi. However, Chun subsequently decided to end the Fourth Republic and draft a new constitution, which was promulgated in October 1980 after being approved in a referendum. The first presidential election under the new constitution was held in February 1981, and Chun was elected by an overwhelming majority.[2]

Background

After the assassination of the military dictator President Park Chung-hee in October 1979, Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah was elected president in the December 1979 elections. However, General Chun Doo-hwan staged the Coup d'état of December Twelfth and effectively took control of the government, making President Choi a figurehead. However, on 16 August 1980, following the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth, Chun removed Choi from office so he could become president himself.

Results

In order to be elected, a candidate had to receive the vote of over 50% of the incumbent members of the National Council for Reunification. With 2,540 deputies in office, Chun had to receive at least 1,271 votes to be elected. He received 2,524 votes, 99.37% of the total possible.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Chun Doo-hwan	Independent	2,524	99.37
Invalid/blank votes		1	–
Total		2,525	100
Electorate/turnout		2,540	99.41

Electors per region

Region	Eligible electors	Vacant seats	Total
Seoul	388	3	391
Busan	145	0	145
Gyeonggi	315	4	319
Gangwon	148	3	151
North Chungcheong	129	2	131
South Chungcheong	229	6	235
North Jeolla	202	1	203
South Jeolla	308	4	312
North Gyeongsang	367	12	379
South Gyeongsang	282	8	290
Jeju	27	0	27
Total	2,540	43	2,583

References

1. Croissant, Aurel. "Electoral Politics in South Korea" (PDF). Friedrich Ebert Foundation. p. 266.
2. Editors, History com. "South Korea". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-03-29.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)