"One-Third of the Nation's Votes in the National Assembly... Is It Really a Good Electoral System?"

Interview with Kim Jong-min, Democratic Party Whip of the 20th National Assembly Political Reform Special Committee
"Let's Agree First on Why We Change the Election System"
"The Political Reform Committee Should Set Election Reform Goals Before Specific Systems"
"Multiple Proposals Needed for Public and Lawmakers to Debate, Not Just a Single Plan"

Kim Jong-min, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] "Do not draw specific conclusions; start by agreeing on the goals."

Kim Jong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who served as the ruling party's secretary during the Special Committee on Political Reform in the 20th National Assembly, made this suggestion in an interview with Asia Economy on the 7th. Rather than clashing over detailed election system methods, he emphasized that the goals of election system reform should be set first before proceeding. Kim also proposed presenting multiple options in the Special Committee on Political Reform for lawmakers to choose from. Instead of political negotiations through ruling and opposition party deals, he suggested creating a framework where the public can participate in discussing the election system.

Kim said, "'Introducing a mixed-member proportional representation system' or 'introducing a large multi-member district system' cannot be the goals of the Special Committee on Political Reform," adding, "These are merely means and methods to achieve the goals. None of them is absolute truth or fact; they are relative. Therefore, it is important not to settle on methods or means but to find what goals can be agreed upon."

Kim Jong-min, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

He stated, "There are various discussions about revising the election law, but the most urgent issue is that the current winner-takes-all election system must be changed," adding, "This system cannot reflect the diverse public opinion of society and is not trusted by the people." He continued, "Currently, only one-third of the people have chosen the National Assembly," arguing, "The current winner-takes-all election system results in the majority of votes becoming wasted votes." Considering the usual voter turnout of 60-70% and that many candidates win with just over half the votes, each lawmaker is actually elected without the support of two-thirds of the voters.

Kim also said, "We must stop regional sweep elections," questioning, "Both Honam and Yeongnam regions are experiencing sweeps, and now the metropolitan area is also experiencing sweeps. Is an election where one party completely sweeps according to party support during the election really a good election?" He added, "If one party sweeps for four years straight, political conflicts, confrontations, and public distrust cannot be prevented," emphasizing, "This sweep election system must be changed."

He also expressed his hope that the Special Committee on Political Reform would present multiple proposals rather than a single unified agreement. Kim said, "I hope the Special Committee on Political Reform does not try to agree on a single proposal but presents two or three multiple proposals to the lawmakers." He stressed, "The proposals from the Special Committee are handled as realistically as possible through discussions, but these proposals are unlikely to gain trust if decisions are made through opaque political negotiations such as agreements between floor leaders," emphasizing, "Public discussions involving lawmakers and participation from the people are necessary to gather diverse opinions."