The National Election Commission (NEC) announced that an International Election Observation Delegation, comprising 31 election officials from 11 countries, including Nigeria and Ecuador, visited the Republic of Korea from May 30 to June 4 to observe Korea's election management system and advanced electoral practices, including early voting.

The International Election Observation Program was implemented as part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) initiative to share Korea's democratic development experience and election management expertise with the international community.

Since 2014, the NEC had invited election officials from transitional democracies for public official elections held due to the expiration of the term of office in order to share its election management system and operational experience.

During the program, the delegation visited early voting stations, polling stations, and counting stations in the Seoul metropolitan area, where participants had the opportunity to observe Korea's electoral procedures and election operations firsthand. Following the observation of polling and counting, the participants exchanged views and discussed election management practices in their respective countries.

The program on began May 30 with the delegation observing early voting for the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections and candidates' election campaigns. On June 1, the participants visited the NEC and the Korean Civic Education Institute for Democracy, where they received briefings on the administration of the local elections and the role of the NEC.

On Election Day, June 3, the delegation observed voting operations at polling stations before proceeding to counting centers to observe the counting process, enabling participants to follow the electoral procedures carried out throughout Election Day in chronological order. On June 4, the delegation participated in a review session, where participants shared their observations from the program and exchanged views on election management in their respective countries.

In his opening remarks, Rho Tae-ak, Chairperson of the NEC, stated, "The International Election Observation Program served as a platform for countries sharing the common goal of ensuring fair elections to exchange experiences and explore ways to further strengthen their electoral systems." He added, "I hoped that Korea's accumulated expertise in election administration would make a meaningful contribution to enhancing the election management capacity of participating countries and strengthening the foundations of democracy.“

The NEC stated that the program had provided an opportunity to share Korea's advanced election management practices and to further strengthen cooperation with election management bodies around the world.