[Change the Election] ② 'Icon of Overcoming Regionalism' Lee Jeong-hyun "We Need to Form an Advisory Group"

Harm of Small Constituency System and Public Consensus
But Reality Uncertain as Some Lawmakers May Lose Districts
"A Specialized Committee Led by the Speaker Should Be Formed to Revise Election Law"

Editor's NoteAs the general election approaches next year, discussions on electoral system reform in the political sphere have intensified. Asia Economy explores the problems of the current electoral district system and seeks reasonable improvement measures through interviews with stakeholders involved in the ongoing electoral system reform discussions.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] "The winner-takes-all system caused by the single-member district system and the resulting national division are severe. A significant number of citizens also sympathize with these issues."

Lee Jeong-hyun, Strategic Planning Committee Member of the National Balanced Development Committee, recently stated in an interview with Asia Economy that external experts should take the lead in revising the election law. He said, "Players cannot change their own rules," adding, "If the Speaker of the National Assembly forms an authoritative external advisory committee for election law revision, the feasibility would be much higher." He explained that if an advisory committee composed of external experts and senior politicians untangles the complex web of interests among lawmakers, the issue of electoral district reform could be resolved more easily than expected.

Lee, who entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative of the former Grand National Party, the predecessor of the People Power Party, is recognized as a figure who broke the regionalism barrier by winning two consecutive elections in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, a conservative party's barren land. He is the only lawmaker who planted the conservative flag in Honam through elections. Based on this, Lee also served as the leader of the Saenuri Party. As a person from Honam leading the conservative party, he is regarded as a figure who made a significant mark in Korean political history.

Although he lost in last year's local election for governor of Jeollanam-do, he received 18.81% of the vote, the highest vote share ever for a conservative party candidate for Jeollanam-do governor. Notably, in his former constituencies, Gokseong and Suncheon, he secured 40.97% and 31.98% of the votes, respectively. Since the single-member district system elects only the candidate with the most votes, his success in securing re-election in Honam on his own suggests that if a multi-member district system electing two or more representatives had been in place, winning would have been easier.

Lee Jeong-hyun, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, National Balanced Development Committee

Lee said, "If the multi-member district system is introduced, it would be the first revival in 35 years since the 13th general election," emphasizing that changing from a single-member district system to a multi-member district system now is practically a 'revolution.' However, he added, "There are continuous criticisms that the winner-takes-all system causes national division," and stressed, "Since problems related to the single-member district system have been consistently raised, discussions are necessary."

The single-member district system renders all votes except those for the winner as wasted votes. For this reason, Lee analyzed that "public opinion is distorted." In the last general election, the Democratic Party of Korea received 49.9% of the nationwide district vote share, and the United Future Party (predecessor of the People Power Party) received 41.5%, but the actual seat count was 163 for the Democratic Party and 84 for the United Future Party, nearly a twofold difference.

However, Lee predicted, "It seems difficult for lawmakers, who are stakeholders, to reach an agreement on electoral district reform." This is because some lawmakers might lose their constituencies due to election law revisions. He said, "Although it has been discussed in every National Assembly session so far, it has not been practically achieved," adding, "It might have been possible right after an election, but changing the electoral district system one year before the election is not easy."

Nevertheless, he emphasized, "To be honest, under the presidential system, a two-party system through the single-member district system is appropriate, while under the parliamentary system, a multi-party system with a multi-member district system fits," and pledged to lead the conservative party to victory in Gwangju and Jeonnam in next year's general election.