1972 South Korean presidential election

1972 South Korean presidential election

← 1971 23 December 1972 1978 →
2,359 members of the National Conference for Unification 1,180 votes needed to win
Nominee Park Chung-hee Party Democratic Republican Electoral vote 2,357
Votes of the National Conference for Unification   Park Chung-hee: 2357   Invalid/Blank: 2
President before election Park Chung-hee Democratic Republican Elected President Park Chung-hee Democratic Republican

Presidential elections were held in South Korea in December 1972 following the promulgation of the Yushin Constitution, which created the National Conference for Unification, a body whose functions included being an electoral college for presidential elections. Incumbent President Park Chung-hee claimed that Western-style liberal democracy would bring more chaos to the economically struggling nation than it could afford. In contrast, he argued that the Yushin system created a "Korean-style democracy" with a strong, unchallenged presidency. He argued this system was necessary to keep the country stable.^[1]

The 2,359 members of the first National Conference for Unification were elected to their six-year term on 5 December 1972, with a voter turnout of 70%. All candidates were required to run as independents. The Constitution gave the body many powers, such as forming policies related to inter-Korean relationship, and determining the president as well as one-third of the National Assembly. However, the body was little more than a rubber stamp, as all of its actions were controlled by the president.^[2]

The newly sworn-in members of the National Conference for Unification convened on 23 December to elect Park to a fourth term as president. With no opposition candidates, Park was elected with the support of 2,357 out of the 2,359 delegates.^[3] The elections were regarded as a formality.^[4]

The National Conference for Unification members elected in 1972 would later approve Park's slate of nominees for one-third of the National Assembly in 1973 and 1976.^{[citation needed]}

In order to be elected, a candidate had to receive the vote of over 50% of the incumbent members of the National Council for Unification. With 2,359 delegates in office, Park had to receive at least 1,180 votes to be elected. He received 2,357 votes, 99.92% of the total possible.^{[citation needed]}

As there was only one candidate registered, the only way the deputies could vote against Park was by casting invalid ballots. One of the two deputies who did that, Song Dong-heon from Daejeon-1 District, revealed later in his life that he purposefully wrote "박정의" (Park Chung-ee) instead of "박정희" (Park Chung-hee) on his ballot in order to protest the dictatorial regime.^[5]

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