Local and Regional Council Elections in 1991: Features and Political Implications

South Korean voters cast ballots on 26 March 1991 to elect 4,304 representatives to local councils at the city, county, and urban-ward level. They voted again on 20 June to elect 866 representatives to regional councils at the metropolitan and provincial level. These local and regional elections, the first in 30 years, herald the revival of a system of autonomous self-government and mark an important milestone on the road to democracy in South Korea. This study examines the voting behavior and election results in order to gain a better picture of the electoral culture and concludes with a few recommendations for the future development of local democracy in South Korea.