1979 South Korean presidential election

{{Short description|none}}

{{Infobox election

| 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

| map_image = 1979 South Korean election.svg

| map_caption = Votes of the National Conference for Unification

{{legend|#00CCFF|Choi Kyu-hah: 2465}} {{legend|#000000|Invalid/Blank: 84}} {{legend|#DDDDDD|Did not vote: 11}}

| title = 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.Asia Watch Committee (1986). Human Rights in Korea. p. 31.

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.