| Country: | Republic of Korea |
| Flag Year: | 1949 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Vote Type: | electoral |
| Previous Election: | 1978 South Korean presidential election |
| Previous Year: | 1978 |
| Election Date: | 6 December 1979 |
| Next Election: | 1980 South Korean presidential election |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
| Votes For Election: | 2,560 members of the National Conference for Unification |
| Needed Votes: | 1,281 |
| Image1: | Choi Kyu Hah.png |
| Nominee1: | Choi Kyu-hah |
| Colour1: | 00CCFF |
| Party1: | Independent politician |
| Electoral Vote1: | 2,465 |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Choi Kyu-hah (Acting) |
| Before Party: | Independent politician |
| After Election: | Choi Kyu-hah |
| After Party: | Independent politician |
Presidential elections were held in South Korea on 6 December 1979 following the assassination of Park Chung Hee on 26 October. The members of the National Conference for Unification, who among other things, were responsible for election of president, choose Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah as the President of the Republic of Korea unopposed; Choi had been acting President since Park's death.[1]
President Choi was supposed to serve for the remainder of late President Park's term, which would have ended in 1984. However, a coup d'état took place six days after the elections, with Chun Doo-hwan seizing power. He allowed Choi to remain in power for eight months, before being elected president in August 1980.
In order to be elected, a candidate had to receive the vote of over 50% of the incumbent members of the National Conference for Unification. With 2,560 delegates present, Choi had to receive at least 1,281 votes to be elected. He received 2,465 votes, 96.29% of the total possible.
| Region | Turnout | % | Eligible electors | Vacanncies | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 388 | 99.49 | 390 | 1 | 391 | |
| Busan | 144 | 99.31 | 145 | 0 | 145 | |
| Gyeonggi | 318 | 100 | 318 | 1 | 319 | |
| Gangwon | 148 | 98.67 | 150 | 1 | 151 | |
| North Chungcheong | 130 | 100 | 130 | 1 | 131 | |
| South Chungcheong | 232 | 100 | 232 | 3 | 235 | |
| North Jeolla | 200 | 99.01 | 202 | 1 | 203 | |
| South Jeolla | 309 | 99.36 | 311 | 1 | 312 | |
| North Gyeongsang | 369 | 99.46 | 371 | 8 | 379 | |
| South Gyeongsang | 284 | 100 | 284 | 6 | 290 | |
| Jeju | 27 | 100 | 27 | 0 | 27 | |
| Total | 2,549 | 99.57 | 2,560 | 23 | 2,583 |