THE 10TH KOREAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY election since the country became independent in 1948 was held on December 12, 1978. It was the second election under President Park's Yushin (national revitalization) constitution, which heralded the Fourth Korean Republic in 1972.1 Given the extraordinary structure of the Yushin constitution and emergency decrees that are still operative, one could debate the significance of any election campaign in Korea,2 but no Korean regime has been able to forego an electoral process altogether. The latent force of democracy is undeniable, and periodic elections have been held in Korea for 30 years. Some earlier studies of these elections have concluded that: (1) Voters have become increasingly sophisticated about elections and their candidate choices; (2) Voters tend to reject the incumbent candidates of the ruling party more than candidates of the opposition parties; (3) Voters have weak party identification and a negative image of parties and party politicians; and (4) Urban voters, students, and intellectuals tend to support opposition parties, whereas rural voters tend to support the government and ruling party.3 This paper will attempt to address