| National Election Commission NEC |
|
|---|---|
| National Election Commission of Korea | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 21 January 1963 |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of Korea |
| Headquarters | Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do |
| Agency executive | Kim Nung-Hwan, chairperson Kang Kyung-Keun, standing commissioner |
| Website | |
| http://www.nec.go.kr/engvote/main/main.jsp | |
The National Election Commission (Korean: 중앙선거관리위원회; NEC) is an independent agency in South Korea established to manage free and fair elections and national referenda in South Korea, and to manage administrative affairs concerning political parties and funds. The agency is established in Article 114 of the Constitution of South Korea.[1] The NEC is equal in status with the National Assembly, the executive branch, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court of Korea, for the purpose of managing fair elections.
The National Election Commission manages elections for public office, including elections for president, National Assembly, a local councils and for heads of local governments.[2] The Commission has managed the elections for the presidency of national universities,[3] for the heads of the Agricultural Cooperative, Fisheries Cooperative, Livestock Cooperative, and Forestry Cooperative,[4] and for some private organizations, such as the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business.[5]
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The National Election Commission is organized in a tiered structure, with the National Election Commission, 16 election commissions for provinces and special cities and metropolitan cities, 251 election commissions for cities, districts or wards (Gu), and counties (gun), and 3,489 election commissions for eup (towns), myun (townships), and dong (neighborhoods).[6]
The National Election Commission is composed of nine members, including a chairperson, a "standing commissioner," and commissioners. Three commissioners are appointed by the President, three are elected by the National Assembly, and the other three are nominated by the Chief Justice of the Republic of Korea.[7] The commission elects its chairperson and standing commissioner from among its members, and it is customary for a justice of the Supreme Court to be elected chairperson.[8] The only full-time position on the commission is the standing commissioner, who oversees oversees the Commission secretariat.[9]
The commissioners serve a term of office of six years and may not be removed from the Commission except by impeachment or conviction of a crime and sentence to imprisonment. Commissions are prohibited from joining political parties or participating in political activities.[10]
The National Election Commission includes the Secretariat, the Internet Election News Deliberation Commission, and the Election Debate Broadcasting Commission.[11]
The current members of the commission are:[12]