On April 10, 2024, South Korea will hold a legislative election for its unicameral National Assembly. The quadrennial elections are administered by the National Election Commission (NEC), an independent nine-member body appointed for six-year terms. Of the 300 National Assembly seats, 253 are elected in single-member constituencies and 47 through national party lists. The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the incumbent majority, currently holds 169 seats, and the People Power Party (PPP), the second largest party in the assembly and current holder of South Korea’s presidency, holds 115 seats. The remaining seats are held by other minority parties and independent politicians. While political parties have begun internal preparations for the election, official campaigning cannot commence until 14 days before the election date. Generally, elections in South Korea are considered free and fair.

Political polarization has increased in recent years, which can be attributed to the country’s rising housing costs, deepening inequality, corruption, and mounting tensions with North Korea. Additionally, due to a deadlock between the DPK-led legislative branch and the PPP-led executive branch, the government has made little progress in addressing these concerns. Additionally, there has been an increase in violent incidents targeting political figures. For example, in 2022, former DPK leader, Song Young-gil, was assaulted with a blunt object while the attacker shouted slogans opposing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. Most recently, in January 2023, current DPK leader, Lee Jae-myung, was stabbed in the neck, though the assailant’s motives remain unclear.

South Koreans benefit from regular rotations of power and robust political pluralism. Civil liberties are generally respected, though the country struggles with minority rights and social integration. Legal bans on pro–North Korean activity affect legitimate political expression, and journalists can face pressure from the government over their coverage of or commentary on inter-Korean relations. Corruption and misogyny are persistent problems, with scandals implicating successive governments and company executives in recent years.

Freedom House has identified the following as key digital interference issues to watch ahead of election day: 

• Harassment and intimidation: Individuals, notably journalists, routinely face online harassment and intimidation for expressing their opinions online, which could escalate ahead of the election. According to a 2021 Korean Press Foundation survey, more than 30 percent of journalists said they experienced online and offline harassment related to their work. Law enforcement officers have raided the homes of prominent journalists and the offices media outlets. For instance, in May 2023, police raided the home of journalist Lim Hyun-joo, who reported that President Yoon Suk-yeol allegedly disparaged members of the United States Congress. Similarly, ahead of the presidential election in September 2023, authorities raided the office of online news outlet Newstapa and the homes of two of its journalists in connection to an article about Yoon and corruption. The reaction to the reporting in both cases, which President Yoon labelled as disinformation, highlights the shrinking space for press freedom in the country.
• Content removal: South Korea’s expansive legal and administrative framework, including the Public Official Election Act (POEA), enables authorities to restrict a wide range of online content. During the last legislative election cycle in 2020, the NEC requested that service providers remove over 50,000 online posts citing POEA violations. Likewise, in March 2022, ahead of the country’s presidential election, the NEC asked service providers to remove more than 86,000 online posts – the largest number of deletions requested during an election period in the country’s history – on the grounds that they included unauthorized public opinion polls, false information, and slander of candidates. Moreover, government officials are likely to employ POEA and other laws to remove content ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
• Arrests and fines: In South Korea, defamation is a criminal offense. Under the Network Act, defamation that takes place online or via information and communication technologies (ICTs) is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of seven years or a maximum fine of 50 million won ($42,000). The POEA also boasts criminal provisions concerning “candidate slander” and “false election speech,” which have been used to curb criticism of political candidates and parties. For example, during the last parliamentary election cycle in 2020,  political candidate Na Kyung-won was fined 800,000 won ($373) under the act for allegedly staging a protest smearing a rival candidate. The risk of legal prosecution can contribute to self-censorship and limit legitimate political discourse about the election.
• Technical attacks: The National Police Agency’s Cyber Bureau has recorded an increase in cyberattacks in recent years The North Korean government frequently launches cyberattacks against South Korean private enterprises and public institutions. Ahead of the upcoming election, a joint audit by the National Intelligence Service and Korea Internet and Security Agency identified vulnerabilities in the NEC’s election management network, the umbrella network for the country’s voting and ballot counting system. While the agencies did not detect any foreign government infiltrations, they noted the NEC has not adequately secured its systems, raising concerns ahead of the April vote.      

South Korea has a score of 75 out of 100, with 100 representing the least vulnerability in terms of election integrity, on Freedom House’s Election Vulnerability Index, which is based on a selection of key election-related indicators. The score reflects a track record of elections that are generally free and fair, but coupled with an online environment characterized by censorship, harassment, and intimidation. The country is rated Free Freedom in the World 2023, with a score of 83 out of 100 with respect to its political rights and civil liberties and Partly Free in Freedom on the Net 2023, with an internet freedom score of 67 out of 100. To learn more about these annual Freedom House assessments, please visit the South Korea country reports in Freedom in the World and Freedom on the Net.