The Legal Deadline for the 'Election District Delimitation Plan' Is Less Than a Month Away

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The legal deadline for the 'Electoral District Delimitation Plan' that will determine the electoral districts for the 22nd National Assembly general election to be held in April next year is less than a month away. The National Assembly Electoral District Delimitation Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Delimitation Committee), which is in charge of delimiting electoral districts, held a public hearing on the 13th at the Yeouido Members' Office Building to prepare the electoral district delimitation plan for next year's general election.

The Delimitation Committee has not yet begun full-scale work on delimiting electoral districts because the number of regional electoral districts and the number of members by city and province, which are prerequisites for delimiting electoral districts, have not been finalized by the National Assembly.

The photo shows the exterior of the National Assembly Building. Photo by Yonhap News

However, considering the tight legal submission deadline for the delimitation plan (March 10, 2023), a public hearing was held to first listen to the opinions of experts recommended by political parties and academia. Our Public Official Election Act requires the Delimitation Committee to prepare the delimitation plan and report it to the Speaker of the National Assembly at least 13 months before the general election, but the plan has rarely been prepared within the legal deadline. In the 21st general election, the electoral districts were only finalized 39 days before the election.

At the public hearing, nine witnesses recommended by five political parties with seats in the National Assembly (The Democratic Party of Korea, People Power Party, Justice Party, Basic Income Party, Transition Korea) and four academic societies (The Korean Geographical Society, Korean Association of Public Law, Korean Political Science Association, Korean Association for Public Administration) attended and presented their opinions on electoral district delimitation.

Song Bong-seop, chairman of the Delimitation Committee, stated in his opening remarks, "We expect the National Assembly to promptly finalize the necessary matters for delimiting electoral districts, such as the number of regional electoral districts and the number of members by city and province, so that the people's right to vote can be fully guaranteed."