South Korean presidential election, 1979

Republic of Korea presidential election, 1979

← 1978 6 December 1979 1980 →
Nominee Choi Kyu-hah Party Independent Electoral vote 2,465/2,549 Percentage 96.7%
Votes of the National Council for Reunification ■ – Choi Kyu-hah ■ – Invalid
President before election Choi Kyu-hah (acting) Independent Elected President Choi Kyu-hah Independent

■ – Choi Kyu-hah

Choi Kyu-hah (acting)
Independent

Choi Kyu-hah
Independent

The South Korean presidential election of 1979 was an extraordinary election which took place on 6 December 1979 after the assassination of Park Chung Hee on 26 October. The electoral college, the National Council for Reunification, had been elected in May 1978, and voted by a margin of 2,465 to 84 to confirm former Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah, who had been acting President since the assassination, as the President of the Republic of Korea without opposition. The 84 votes were declared invalid; a further 11 delegates were not present. While Choi Kyu-hah remained president for 8 months, his effective tenure would last for less than a week until Chun Doo-hwan seized power six days later in the coup d'état of December Twelfth.