South Korean presidential election, 2017 Facts for Kids

The 19th South Korean presidential election took place on 9 May 2017. This election happened earlier than planned. It was held because the previous president, Park Geun-hye, was removed from her job. This removal is called an impeachment and dismissal.

The election was originally set for 20 December 2017. However, South Korea's highest court, the Constitutional Court, decided on 10 March 2017 to agree with the parliament's decision to remove President Park. This made the election happen sooner.

Before April 2017, surveys showed that Moon Jae-in was the most popular candidate. He belonged to the Democratic Party. Moon Jae-in had also run in the 2012 election and came in second. He later won the 2017 election.

Who Ran for President?
- What Did People Think Before the Election?
Election Results
Images for kids
See also

Who Ran for President?

Many people ran to become president. Here are the main candidates:

Moon Jae-in
(Democratic Party)
Hong Jun-pyo
(Liberty Party)
Ahn Cheol-soo
(People's Party)
Yoo Seong-min
(Bareun Party)
Sim Sang-jung
(Justice Party)

What Did People Think Before the Election?

Before the election, people were asked who they would vote for. This is called opinion polling. These polls helped show who was leading the race.

Opinion polling of candidates from April-May 2017 until the election

Election Results

The election results showed how many votes each candidate received. They also showed which candidate won in different parts of South Korea.

Regions · Provinces · Cities

		Moon Jae-in Democratic		Hong Jun-pyo Liberty Korea		Ahn Cheol-soo People's		Yoo Seung-min Bareun		Sim Sang-jung Justice
		Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Seoul National Capital Area	Seoul	2,781,345	42.3	1,365,285	20.78	1,492,767	22.7	476,973	7.26	425,459	6.47
	Incheon	747,090	41.2	379,191	20.9	428,888	23.7	118,691	6.54	129,925	7.16
	Gyeonggi	3,319,812	42.1	1,637,345	20.8	1,807,308	22.9	540,023	6.84	546,373	6.92
Gwandong (Gangwon)		324,768	34.2	284,909	30.0	206,840	21.8	65,278	6.86	62,389	6.56
Hoseo (Chungcheong)	Daejeon	404,545	42.9	191,376	20.3	218,769	23.2	59,820	6.34	63,669	6.75
	North Chungcheong	374,806	38.6	255,502	26.3	211,454	21.8	57,282	5.90	65,095	6.70
	South Chungcheong	476,661	38.6	306,614	24.8	290,216	23.5	68,521	5.55	83,868	6.79
	Sejong	77,767	51.1	23,211	15.2	32,010	21.0	9,192	6.03	9,353	6.14
Honam (Jeolla)	Gwangju	583,847	61.1	14,882	1.55	287,222	30.1	20,862	2.18	43,719	4.60
	North Jeolla	778,747	64.8	40,231	3.34	285,467	23.8	60,802	2.56	29,296	4.93
	South Jeolla	737,921	59.9	30,221	2.45	378,179	30.7	25,819	2.09	49,509	4.01
Yeongnam (Gyeongsang)	Busan	872,127	38.7	720,484	32.0	378,907	16.8	162,480	7.21	94,329	4.85
	Ulsan	282,794	38.1	203,602	27.5	128,520	17.3	60,289	8.13	62,187	8.38
	Daegu	342,620	21.8	714,205	45.4	235,757	15.0	198,459	12.60	74,440	4.72
	North Gyeongsang	369,726	21.7	827,237	48.6	253,905	14.9	149,017	8.75	88,080	5.17
	South Gyeongsang	779,731	36.7	790,491	37.2	284,272	13.4	142,479	6.71	113,051	5.32
Jeju		169,493	45.5	68,063	18.3	77,861	20.9	22,784	6.11	31,716	8.51
Total		13,423,800	41.08%	7,852,849	24.03%	6,998,342	21.41%	2,208,771	6.76%	2,017,458	6.17%