New President takes office immediately

South Korea National Election Commission (NEC) expects to hold the meeting between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on June 4, the day after election day when the vote counting is completed. The elected is finalized at a general meeting of the Commission.

At the meeting, the election watchdog approves the winner after combining and verifying the results of ballot counting at 254 locations nationwide. The 21st president’s term officially begins the moment the commission chairman bangs the gavel to declare the winner. At this point, all presidential powers, including the authority to command the armed forces, are automatically handed over to the new president.