[Reporter’s Notebook] Let’s Settle the Election System This Time with a Public Debate

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] "This time is different." It is a phrase often heard in political circles but rarely trusted. Similar words are heard regarding next year's general election system reform, known as political reform. In fact, looking at the objective environment, the political claim that this time is different is not an exaggeration. President Yoon Seok-yeol and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo have strengthened discussions on electoral district reform through New Year's interviews earlier this year, and beyond ideological lines, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties have joined hands to launch the 'Bipartisan Political Reform Lawmakers' Group,' indicating observable changes in the objective environment.

However, the reality is that there is also self-mockery asking, "Will it really be different this time?" According to the current Public Official Election Act, the delineation of electoral districts for National Assembly elections must be completed one year in advance. However, in the 20th and 21st general elections, the electoral districts were finalized only about a month before the election, handled in a last-minute rush. The reason for the annual delay was not due to laziness. Because the drawing of a single boundary line determines who wins and who loses, it is politically sensitive. Moreover, changing the electoral system itself beyond just delineating districts signals a political upheaval. Behind various fronts such as metropolitan areas and provinces, ruling and opposition parties, lie the interests of individual lawmakers' election outcomes, making it unlikely that this issue will be easily resolved.

Nonetheless, the political circles are seriously engaging in electoral system reform because they judge that things cannot continue as they are. The single-member district system, which was one pillar of the 1987 regime, despite its many advantages, has been criticized as the cause of extreme politics. Furthermore, there is significant doubt about the rationality of a structure where the political landscape for four years is decided by public opinion changes just one month before the election. Politics itself has become the problem rather than solving problems.

A different approach must be sought this time. Kim Jong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in an interview with this paper, "I hope that the Political Reform Special Committee does not try to agree on a single plan but rather presents two or three multiple proposals to the lawmakers." Instead of rushing and leaving the decision to the ruling and opposition leadership, individual lawmakers, as constitutional institutions, should engage in proper debate. Instead of secretive collusion, the ruling and opposition parties should hold proper public debates, undergo public scrutiny, and through discussion, come up with solutions on how to revive our politics.