Kim Jin-pyo "Increase the number of National Assembly seats but freeze personnel expenses"

Plan to Reform Election System Dominated by Two Parties
"Constitutional Amendment Needed: Single 5-Year Term → Two 4-Year Terms"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo announced on the 1st a plan to reform the electoral system by increasing the fixed number of 300 seats, while maintaining the budget for personnel expenses paid to members of the National Assembly as it is.

On the same day, Speaker Kim appeared on CBS Radio's Kim Hyun-jung's News Show and pointed out the "monopoly system of the two major parties" as a problem of the current electoral system, arguing that the number of proportional representation seats should be increased to overcome this.

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo is holding a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly Sarangjae./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

However, since the current 300 seats in the National Assembly are fixed, increasing the number of proportional representation seats requires reducing the number of constituency members. In this case, opposition from incumbent constituency members subject to consolidation is also expected.

In response, Speaker Kim said, "The budget for personnel expenses paid to members of the National Assembly will be frozen for the next five years of the session without increase, and there are various proposals to increase the number of seats by 30 or 50," adding, "Unreasonable electoral systems must be corrected, but it is difficult to do so without increasing the number of seats." He further added that "more than 80-90% of the members will agree to this plan."

However, he elaborated, "Increasing the number of members is directly related to the public's political trust in the National Assembly. In that regard, the conditions for increasing it are very difficult."

Regarding the single-member district system, Speaker Kim clearly stated his position that it must be reformed, calling it a "winner-takes-all electoral system that inevitably leads to extreme confrontation." He emphasized that going forward, "the most important task is to create an electoral system that, based on a multi-party system, allows political forces, regions, and generations to engage in dialogue and compromise."

Speaker Kim also argued that the "five-year single-term presidency" should be changed to a "four-year two-term system," stating that next year, ahead of the general election, is the best time for constitutional amendment.

He said, "The harms and drawbacks of the five-year single-term system have been revealed over time, and many public opinion polls show that moving to a four-year two-term system is the right choice," adding, "Since the current president might be at a disadvantage, the president's decision is necessary."