The Tamesis
May 22, 2026
Seoul – South Korea entered election mode on Thursday, with candidates and campaigners allowed to use microphones and sound trucks for two weeks.
From Thursday to June 2, the day before local elections, eligible candidates and activists can use microphones and operate sound trucks in open spaces for campaigning from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to electoral authorities.
Screens on the truck may stay on until 11pm, but speakers will be restricted from 9pm
Election campaigns in South Korea are regulated by the Public Officials Election Act. During the two-week campaign, candidates and campaigners can deliver speeches in open spaces, hand out business cards and hang campaign banners while wearing jackets, sweatshirts or belts bearing party symbols such as colors or designated ballot numbers.
Meanwhile, election officials will put up posters showing candidates’ faces and ballot numbers at designated locations by Friday. Election-related materials will be delivered to voters’ homes by Sunday.
South Korean political parties began campaigning shortly after midnight on Thursday.
On Thursday, ruling Democratic Party representative chairman Chung Chung-rae attended a midnight launch ceremony for the party’s Seoul mayoral candidate Chung Won-oh, while Jang Dong-hyuk, a representative of the main opposition People’s Power Party, attended the launch ceremony after midnight with Yang Hyang-ja, the Gyeonggi governor candidate. Mr. Yang, a former executive at Samsung Electronics, went on a hunger strike calling for a resolution to the wage impasse at Samsung.
In the election, 16 leadership positions in major cities in South Korea such as Seoul and Busan will be contested; a total of 227 people will hold the positions of mayor, county magistrate, and district office director; and 16 education supervision positions. Elections for nearly 4,000 members of parliament across the country will also be held.
Parliamentary by-elections will also be held in 14 of the country’s 254 constituencies.
Polls will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Early voting will be held on May 29 and 30 and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The number of voters will be confirmed on Friday.
The National Election Commission on Thursday unveiled plans to hold televised debates from Thursday through May 28 for contenders for leadership positions in 16 cities, as well as for lawmakers and education directors.
The main battlegrounds in this year’s local elections include the races for mayor of Seoul, governor of Gyeonggi Province and mayor of Busan. Opinion polls show candidates from the ruling Democratic Party – Chung Won-oh, Choo Mi-ae and Jeon Jae-soo – currently in the lead.
The Seoul mayoral candidate debate will be broadcast on SBS at 11pm on May 28. The Gyeonggi Governor candidate debate will be broadcast on KBS at 11 pm on May 27. The Busan mayoral candidate debate will be broadcast on KBS at 11pm on Tuesday.
The by-elections in Busan North A constituency and Pyeongtaek B constituency also attracted strong attention from voters. Candidates for Busan North A constituency will hold a televised debate on MBC at 1:55 pm on May 28, and candidates for Pyeongtaek B constituency will hold a televised debate on May 27 at 8 pm.
