1973 South Korean legislative election

1973 South Korean legislative election
← 1971 27 February 1973 1978 →
146 of the 219 seats in the National Assembly
110 seats needed for a majority
Turnout71.36% (Decrease 1.86pp)
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Park Chung-hee Yu Chin-san Yang il-dong
Party Democratic Republican New Democratic Democratic Unification
Last election 113 seats 89 seats Did not exist
Seats won 73 52 3
Seat change Decrease 40 Decrease 37 New
Popular vote 4,251,754 3,577,300 1,114,204
Percentage 38.68% 32.55% 10.14%
Swing Decrease 10.09pp Decrease 11.83pp New
Speaker before election

None

 Elected Speaker

Chung Il-kwon
Democratic Republican

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Legislative elections were held in South Korea on 27 February 1973 to elect 146 members of the National Assembly.[1] Another 73 members appointed by President Park Chung-hee were indirectly elected by the National Conference for Unification on 7 March 1973.[2]

The result was a supermajority victory for the ruling Democratic Republican Party, which won 73 of the 146 elected seats in the National Assembly along with the 73 seats filled by Park's appointees. Voter turnout was 72.9%.

The election reconstituted the National Assembly after Park had dissolved it in the October Restoration self-coup four months earlier and pushed through a constitutional referendum which removed presidential term limits and gave him the power to appoint one-third of the National Assembly.[3] The opposition New Democratic Party had also split in 1972 over a leadership dispute between the Yu Chin-san faction and an opposing faction led by Kim Dae-jung and Kim Hong-il.[4] One month before the election, the latter formed the Democratic Unification Party [ko].[5][6] However, the DUP performed poorly and split the opposition vote, and in the aftermath the members expressed regret for their decision to run.[7]

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p420 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
  2. ^ "三年制議員(삼년제의원)73명 大統領推薦(대통령추천)대로選出(선출)". Naver News Library.
  3. ^ Lee, Kap-Yun (1999). "The Votes Mattered: Decreasing Party Support under the Two-Member-District SNTV in Korea (1973–1978)". In Grofman, Bernard; Lee, Sung-Chull; Winckler, Edwin; Woodall, Brian (eds.). Elections in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan Under the Single Non-Transferable Vote: The Comparative Study of an Embedded Institution. University of Michigan Press. p. 252. ISBN 9780472109098.
  4. ^ "新民全黨大會 珍山系만으로 强行" [New Democratic Party convention: Chin-san faction alone pushes it through]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 26 September 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 16 May 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  5. ^ "金弘壹씨系 新民黨 떠나기로 鄭一亨씨는 殘留" [Kim Hong-il faction leaves New Democratic Party, Chyung Yil-hyung remains]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 18 January 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  6. ^ "金弘壹씨新民脫党 民統党에參与할듯" [Kim Hong-il will leave New Democratic Party and join Democratic Unification Party]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). 19 January 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via Naver News Library.
  7. ^ "統一黨간부들, 總選참여를후회" [Unification Party leaders regret participation in general election]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 3 March 1973. p. 2. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via Naver News Library.