Ruling and Opposition Parties Agree on Pilot Implementation of Multi-Member District System for Basic Electoral Districts... Electoral District Delimitation Negotiations Concluded

Pilot Implementation of 3-5 Member Basic Electoral Districts in 11 Locations Nationwide
38 Additional Metropolitan Council Members and 48 Basic Council Members Increased Respectively

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Kwon Hyun-ji] In the June 1 local elections, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to pilot the ‘multi-member district system with three or more basic council members’ in 11 electoral districts nationwide. Both parties decided to experimentally introduce multi-member districts with 3 to 5 basic council members to verify the effects of the system’s implementation.

On the 14th, the chief deputy floor leaders and the secretaries of the Political Affairs Special Committee from both parties met at the National Assembly and reached this agreement. Jin Seong-jun, the chief deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, Song Eon-seok, the chief deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, Kim Young-bae, secretary of the Democratic Party’s Political Affairs Special Committee, and Cho Hae-jin, secretary of the People Power Party’s Political Affairs Special Committee, met at the National Assembly and agreed on adjusting the number of seats for the June local elections and piloting the multi-member district system for basic electoral districts.

According to the agreement between the two sides, "To verify the effects of introducing the multi-member district system with 3 to 5 basic council members, for the 8th local elections only, four districts in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi, one in Incheon, one in Yeongnam, one in Honam, and one in Chungcheong will be designated as 3 to 5 member districts based on the National Assembly electoral districts and piloted." Additionally, the remaining provisions of Article 26, Paragraph 4 of the Public Official Election Act, which involved controversies over splitting four-member basic electoral districts, will be deleted this time.

With this agreement, "the number of metropolitan council members will increase by 38, and the number of basic council members will increase by 48," it was agreed.

Secretary Kim stated, "Although there were difficulties in reaching the first major agreement after Park Hong-geun of the Democratic Party and Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party took office as floor leaders, they made a decisive decision," and added, "We thank the Speaker of the National Assembly for mediating the proposal."