[Change the Election] ④ Nam In-soon "Discussion on Expanding National Assembly Members... 500-Person Public Opinion Survey"

Interview with the Chairman of the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform
Three-Pronged Discussion on Electoral District Reorganization by the Special Committee
Expanding the Number of National Assembly Members, Persuading the Public to Improve the Perception of 'Privilege'

Editor's NoteWith next year's general election approaching, 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.

"The issue of expanding the number of National Assembly members has never undergone a sufficiently public discussion process until now. I believe it starts from now."

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Nam In-soon, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Political Reform, recently emphasized the necessity of discussing the expansion of the number of National Assembly members in an interview with Asia Economy, stating, "We need to create conditions where we can seek the public's consent." She explained that in order to improve the limitations of the current political system, the number of proportional representation seats must be increased, and thus discussions on the total number of members should be actively conducted.

Chairperson Nam said, "In our country, the proportion of proportional representation is too low compared to constituency seats," adding, "To at least uphold the purpose of the proportional system, the ratio between constituency seats and proportional seats should be about 4 to 1, but since we cannot adjust the total number of members, reducing constituency seats is even more difficult."

To increase the number of proportional seats while maintaining the current total of 300 National Assembly members, the number of constituency seats must be reduced. However, this is difficult in reality because the interests of constituency members are intertwined. For this reason, voices have recently emerged not only in academia but also in the political sphere that the total number of members itself must be increased to raise the proportion of proportional representation. Speaker Kim Jin-pyo also directly mentioned this on March 1 during CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' saying, "Increasing the number of members is directly related to the public's political trust in the current National Assembly."

Chairperson Nam also said on the same day, "Until now, it has been quite burdensome for the political sphere itself to bring up (the expansion of the number of members)," adding, "The political sphere should not just avoid it but engage in discussions."

The problem lies in public opinion. Expanding the number of National Assembly members requires more public funds for members' salaries and support for legislative activities, often facing criticism as 'increasing the vested interests' share.' Chairperson Nam emphasized that efforts are needed to break the negative perception of the privileges of National Assembly members to persuade the public.

To this end, the Special Committee on Political Reform is also discussing measures such as conflict of interest prevention systems for National Assembly members and fiscal neutrality of the National Assembly. Chairperson Nam said, "From the public's perspective, the number of representatives who represent them is small, and privileges actually decrease per individual if the total number increases," adding, "I believe public approval is not yet high."

Currently, the Special Committee on Political Reform is discussing various proposals for electoral reform among ruling and opposition party members. Chairperson Nam explained that opinions among members are largely divided into three groups. He said, "Members of the People Power Party mostly favor returning to a parallel system. Democratic Party members are proposing supplementary measures to improve problems revealed in the mixed-member proportional system. Additionally, there is a somewhat revolutionary proposal for a proportional system with large electoral districts." The parallel proportional representation system applies the party vote share only to the selection of proportional representatives. In the mixed-member proportional system, the total seats are allocated according to party vote shares, with each party filling seats first with constituency winners and then with proportional representatives. The National Assembly changed from a parallel system to a semi-mixed system ahead of the 21st general election in 2020.

The Special Committee on Political Reform plans to finalize an electoral reform proposal by the end of this month after these discussions. The Speaker of the National Assembly has proposed holding a plenary committee meeting with all members participating in March to start discussions. Chairperson Nam said, "118 people attended the bipartisan political reform members' meeting (on the 30th of last month), so it seems likely to meet the quorum of 75 members, which is one-fourth of the plenary committee," adding, "If amendments are proposed in the plenary committee and submitted to the plenary session, it could be processed within April," expressing optimism.

Chairperson Nam, who prioritizes 'public consensus' as the principle of electoral reform, also said that a public deliberation body consisting of about 500 panelists will be formed in March to reflect public opinion. He stated, "Before requesting a budget from the Speaker, we plan to conduct a public opinion survey in March," adding, "This assumes that multiple proposals will be presented in February." He emphasized, "If it is not just a political discussion but also includes public opinion, it will be a process of making truly new history."

Chairperson Nam said, "I think my role is to design the process well and to activate discussions," adding, "As the chairperson of the Special Committee on Political Reform, I consider it my duty to keep time and abide by the law."