The results of the 2025 Kyung Hee University (KHU) Seoul Campus by-election were announced on March 26 at 19:00 in the Crown Concert Hall. The by-election included votes for the General Student Association (GSA), two college student associations (CSA), four departmental associations (DSA), and one grade representative. Except for the GSA, all other candidates were elected with a majority of approval votes, resulting in an extended voting period for the GSA election.

Podium for the vote counting

Photo by Lee, Su-in / The University Life

The Election Results

KnocKH, the sole GSA candidate for this election, failed to fulfill the minimum number of votes. In accordance with the KHU Seoul Campus Election Rule (ER), the vote counting was only permitted for the candidate who received over 50% of the votes out of the total student population. Official enrollment for the KHU 2025 academic year is 13,866 total students, requiring about 6,900 students to participate in the voting for the vote counting. Based on the original planned counting day, March 26, 19:00, only 5,356—38.6% of voter turnout—students cast the vote, far below the fulfillment rate.

In the CSA elections, candidates from the College of Fine Arts and the School of Global Eminence were elected by meeting the required approval rate. According to the ER, a sole candidate must secure at least two-thirds approval to be elected. In the College of Fine Arts election, 164 out of 296 students cast their votes. GRIN, the candidate of the College of Fine Arts, received 137 approval votes, 19 disapproval votes, and 8 abstentions, securing the position with an approval rate of 83.54%. Regarding the School of Global Eminence, 249 students out of 454 cast the vote, the candidate LANDING is elected by an 81.93% approval rate—204 approval votes, 24 disapproval votes, and 21 abstentions.

The by-election results for several positions were also successfully counted. Elections were held for the Dept. of Biology, Dept. of Geography, the Global Leader and the Global Business majors under the School of Global Eminence, as well as the first-year representative for the School of Global Eminence. Each election recorded sufficient voter turnout—53.46%, 63.98%, 54.63%, 54.19%, and 53.74%, respectively. All candidates were elected as representatives of their respective student bodies, securing approval rates of 89.93%, 87.42%, 84.27%, 93.5%, and 87.3%, respectively.

Statements from the Elected Candidates

The elected candidates also shared their remarks. Kim Yong-jun, the newly elected president of the College of Fine Arts, said, “As our team name GRIN—which means drawing in Korean—suggests, we will draw the future of our college together with our students.”

Lee Sae-hee, the presidential candidate of LANDING, added, “We will do our best to support our students so they can land on the dreams they wish to achieve.”

The Chief of the College of Sciences Election Committee announces the vote-counting results.

Photo by Lee, Su-in / The University Life

Elected candidates from the School of  Global Eminence 

The Future Schedule

For the election results to be fully confirmed, candidates must wait a few more days. According to the ER, KHU students are given a four-day objection period following the vote count. If no valid objections are raised and the candidates’ qualifications are verified during this period, they will officially become the representative of their student body.

The GSA election schedule has been extended due to insufficient voter turnout. According to the Seoul Campus Central Election Committee, the voting period will be extended by up to two additional days in cases of insufficient voter turnout. The committee has approved two extensions: the first until March 27 at 18:00, and the second until March 28 at 18:00. The GSA election results can be counted if the required voter turnout is reached before the deadline. However, if the turnout remains insufficient, the candidate will not be elected, and the Emergency Response Committee will continue to carry out the responsibilities of the GSA.

For future vote counting, the event will be held at 19:00 in Room 131 of the College of Politics & Economics building. If the votes are counted on March 27, the Voice of University (V.O.U.) Seoul branch will stream the event live. However, if the vote counting is postponed to March 28, the event will still take place at the same location, but without V.O.U.’s streaming. The Central Election Committee added that they also have no plans to live stream the event themselves.

The election is not over yet. All candidates in the CSA and DSA by-elections have been elected, with over 50% of enrolled students voting and more than two-thirds casting approval votes. However, the GSA is still waiting for more students to participate. So far, only 38% of the total student population has voted, and approximately 1,580 more votes are needed to meet the required turnout. As KHU faces the possibility of remaining under the Emergency Response Committee system for the first time in seven years, it is a critical moment that demands greater attention to both the election and the candidates.