| Country: | Republic of Korea |
| Flag Year: | 1949 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Vote Type: | electoral |
| Previous Election: | 1971 South Korean presidential election |
| Previous Year: | 1971 |
| Election Date: | 23 December 1972 |
| Next Election: | 1978 South Korean presidential election |
| Next Year: | 1978 |
| Votes For Election: | 2,359 members of the National Conference for Unification |
| Needed Votes: | 1,180 |
| Image1: | 박정희 대통령 김영삼 신민당 총재 접견 (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Park Chung-hee |
| Party1: | Democratic Republican Party (South Korea) |
| Electoral Vote1: | 2,357 |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Park Chung-hee |
| Before Party: | Democratic Republican Party (South Korea) |
| After Election: | Park Chung-hee |
| After Party: | Democratic Republican Party (South Korea) |
Presidential elections were held in South Korea in December 1972 following the promulgation of the Yushin Constitution, which created the National Conference for Unification, a body whose functions included being an electoral college for presidential elections. Incumbent President Park Chung-hee claimed that Western-style liberal democracy would bring more chaos to the economically struggling nation than it could afford. In contrast, he argued that the Yushin system created a "Korean-style democracy" with a strong, unchallenged presidency. He argued this system was necessary to keep the country stable.[1]
The 2,359 members of the first National Conference for Unification were elected to their six-year term on 5 December 1972, with a voter turnout of 70%. All candidates were required to run as independents. The Constitution gave the body many powers, such as forming policies related to inter-Korean relationship, and determining the president as well as one-third of the National Assembly. However, the body was little more than a figurehead, as all of its actions were controlled by the president.[2]
| Region | Electorate | Turnout | % | Valid votes | Delegates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 3,113,767 | 1,773,454 | 57.0 | 1,702,369 | 303 | |
| Busan | 941,884 | 642,641 | 68.2 | 622,823 | 104 | |
| Gyeonggi | 1,664,447 | 1,154,711 | 69.4 | 1,123,083 | 280 | |
| Gangwon | 788,276 | 629,915 | 79.9 | 613,395 | 145 | |
| North Chungcheong | 602,554 | 461,547 | 76.6 | 447,557 | 127 | |
| South Chungcheong | 1,278,743 | 924,874 | 72.3 | 900,402 | 231 | |
| North Jeolla | 1,092,516 | 838,211 | 76.7 | 810,011 | 200 | |
| South Jeolla | 1,636,382 | 1,174,364 | 71.8 | 1,138,441 | 312 | |
| North Gyeongsang | 1,970,647 | 1,507,092 | 76.5 | 1,457,409 | 354 | |
| South Gyeongsang | 1,339,583 | 1,038,388 | 77.5 | 1,009,869 | 278 | |
| Jeju | 170,818 | 138,596 | 81.1 | 135,242 | 25 | |
| Total | 14,599,617 | 10,283,793 | 70.4 | 9,960,601 | 2,359 |
In order to be elected, a candidate had to receive the vote of over 50% of the incumbent members of the National Council for Unification. With 2,359 delegates in office, Park had to receive at least 1,180 votes to be elected. He received 2,357 votes, 99.92% of the total possible.
As there was only one candidate registered, the only way the deputies could vote against Park was by casting invalid ballots. One of the two deputies who did that, Song Dong-heon from Daejeon-1 District, revealed later in his life that he purposefully wrote "박정의" (Park Chung-ee) instead of "박정희" (Park Chung-hee) on his ballot in order to protest the dictatorial regime.[5]