Chamber:
	Kuk Hoe
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	11 April 1996
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	According to a new law, the campaign for the 1996 elections lasted just over two weeks, officially opening on 26 March; the legal provisions also set strict spending limits for candidates. The main opposition for the ruling New Korea Party (NKP) - known as the Democratic Liberal Party until December 1995 - came from the newly founded National Congress for New Politics (NCNP) of Mr. Kim Dae-Jung and the right-wing United Liberal Democrats of Mr. Kim Jong-Pil. Altogether 1389 candidates (including 394 independents) vied for the 299 Assembly seats at stake. The campaign was generally regarded as lackluster, short on issues, and somewhat overshadowed by unusual movements of North Korean troops in the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas. The polling itself was seen as a referendum on the policies of President of the Republic Kim Young-Sam (NKP) and his efforts to end corruption in the country's politics. The President's three years in office had also been highlighted by sweeping economic reforms. On a polling day marked by a low voter turnout, the NKP lost its absolute parliamentary majority but was consoled by the fact that its principal rivals performed below their expectations. Despite the loss of seats, President Kim regarded the results "as reflecting the people's aspiration to pursue reforms amid stability and break the shells of old politics". In the hotly contested battles of the capital, Seoul, the NKP took 27 of the 47 seats. In the context of this overall outcome, the NKP struck an alliance with independent members to arrive at a governing Assembly margin. The Prime Minister is Mr. Lee Hong-Ku. Presidential elections are scheduled for 1997.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (11 April 1996): Elections results
Number of registered electors	31 488 294
Voters	20 122 799 (63.9%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	469 726
Valid votes	19 653 073

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	Candidates	Votes	%
New Korea Party (NKP)	253	6,783,730	34.5
National Congress for New Politics (NCNP)	230	4,971,961	25.3
United Liberal Democrats (ULD)	219	3,178,474	16.2
United Democratic Party (UDP)	225	2,207,695	11.2
Others	68	182,428	0.9
Independents	394	2,328,785	11.9

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total	Proportional	Majority	Gain/Loss
New Korea Party (NKP)	139	18	121	-11
National Congress for New Politics (NCNP)	79	13	66	+27
United Liberal Democrats (ULD)	50	9	41	+19
United Democratic Party (UDP)	15	6	9	-20
Others	0	0	0	-
Independents	16	16	0	-4

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	290
Women:	9

Distribution of seats according to age:
31-40 years	9
41-50 years	64
51-60 years	160
61-70 years	61
Over 70 years	5
Distribution of seats according to profession:
Politicians	232
Law	24
Medicine	10
Education	8
Business	4
Publishing	3
Others	17