[Politics That Day] General Election Campaign Starting in December? ... From Candidate Business Cards to Sashes

Registration of Parliamentary Preliminary Candidates Begins 120 Days Before General Election
Political Newcomers Allowed Various Forms of Campaigning
Incumbent Lawmakers Also Register as Preliminary Candidates to Counter Promotion Efforts

Editor's Note"Politics on That Day" is a series that looks back on Korean politics through the "recollection of memories" related to notable scenes, events, and figures that deserve attention.

December 12th marks the day when the election campaign for the 22nd general election effectively begins. This is because politicians aspiring to become members of the National Assembly are allowed to wear sashes bearing their names and distribute promotional business cards after registering as preliminary candidates.

Although more than four months remain until the 22nd general election on April 10th next year, the election campaign effectively starts due to the legal status of preliminary candidates for the National Assembly. In fact, during the 21st general election in 2020, there was a remarkable scene where incumbent lawmakers registered as preliminary candidates.

This means that registering as a preliminary candidate is not an issue that only political newcomers pay attention to.

On the 17th, when the registration for preliminary candidates for the 21st National Assembly election began, Jeong Dong-hee, a preliminary candidate from the New Conservative Party, submitted documents at the Election Commission in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Registration for preliminary candidates for the 22nd general election is possible from December 12th, which is 120 days before the election day. Those who wish to register as preliminary candidates for the National Assembly must follow the procedures stipulated in the Public Official Election Act.

They must submit documents proving their eligibility to run, certificates regarding criminal records, and proof of educational background. If there are deficiencies in the related documents or disqualifications are found, the preliminary candidate registration will be denied.

The majority of politicians aspiring to become members of the National Assembly consider making themselves known to voters their top priority. Some star-level politicians can leverage their high recognition to create favorable conditions for campaigning, but many political hopefuls struggle with low name recognition.

Before running in the election and expecting to receive party nomination, it is important to inform voters who they are, why they want to become members of the National Assembly, and what pledges they hold. Before December 12th, they can only promote themselves through limited methods, but the situation changes once they register as preliminary candidates.

On April 2, 2020, when the official election campaign for the 21st National Assembly election began, local office officials in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, were putting up election posters. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Preliminary candidates are allowed to set up election offices, signs, plaques, and banners. They can also personally hand out business cards measuring up to 9cm in length and 5cm in width containing their career and promotional information. Except for restricted places such as religious facilities, terminals, and electric trains, they can distribute their business cards to voters.

They may also send printed materials containing their career and promotional information by mail after receiving confirmation from the election commission, within 10% of the number of households in the electoral district.

In particular, preliminary candidates for the National Assembly can wear sashes and other items to promote themselves during the campaign. At this time, the spouses and direct ascendants or descendants of the preliminary candidates can distribute promotional business cards together with the candidates.

The official election campaign for the 22nd general election will begin at the end of March next year, but voters will effectively start experiencing the election atmosphere from December 12th onward.

On April 5, 2020, during the ongoing election campaign for the April 15 general election, banners of candidates from each party, including Lee Nak-yeon of the Democratic Party of Korea and Hwang Kyo-ahn of the United Future Party, who are running in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are displayed. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The reason incumbent lawmakers registered as preliminary candidates in the 21st general election was not only to leverage the incumbent premium but also to utilize the election campaign system allowed for preliminary candidates.

Generally, incumbent lawmakers tend to delay registering as preliminary candidates, but with changes in election-related regulations, the atmosphere has changed significantly.

Especially when fierce internal party nomination competition occurs in a constituency, not only political newcomers but also incumbent lawmakers open preliminary candidate offices and promote their candidacy for the general election.

When large banners featuring the faces of other politicians in their constituency flutter, voters inevitably pay attention to those figures. This can lead to the misconception that the incumbent lawmaker is not running in the general election. To prevent such misunderstandings, incumbent lawmakers have no choice but to actively assert their presence in a more proactive manner.