Ruling and Opposition Lawmakers: "Political Polarization, Reform of Bipartisan Confrontational Politics Is a Priority"

On the 27th, National Research Institutes and Others
Seminar on Solutions to Political Polarization
Calls for Electoral Reform Toward a Multi-Party System and a Decentralized Presidential System

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] "The currently polarized politics in our country is further exacerbated by the electoral system, pushing the nation and its people to the brink. If we fail to change the electoral system this time, it will be tantamount to neglecting the country’s descent into danger."

On the 23rd, at a meeting between the Korea Institute of Public Administration and the National Assembly press corps, Kim Young-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated, "In the current electoral system where winning by even one vote is enough, polarization intensifies because candidates only need to appeal to 'their side.'"

This meeting was held ahead of the seminar titled "Research on the Development of Korean Democracy in the Era of Political Polarization," jointly hosted by the National Assembly, the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Korea Institute of Public Administration, and the Korean Political Science Association on the 27th. Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, researchers from national policy research institutions, and academic society researchers gathered to provide a preliminary explanation of the measures and research progress they have sought to improve the harms of political polarization. Attendees from the National Assembly included Lee Myung-soo and Choi Hyung-doo from the People Power Party, Kim Jong-min and Kim Young-bae from the Democratic Party, Lee Eun-joo from the Justice Party, and Cho Jung-hoon from the Transition Korea party. They commonly pointed out the prevalent political distrust and severe political polarization in the country, emphasizing the inevitability of political reform.

Park Jun, a research fellow at the Korea Institute of Public Administration, said, "The legislature’s inability to produce productive outcomes is also a harm caused by political polarization," adding, "Citizens are divided into camps and cannot objectively evaluate achievements, which is precisely due to polarized politics." He cited the significant differences in government policy evaluations depending on party support as a representative example.

He pointed out, "This ultimately increases the discontinuity of government policies and intensifies the rupture phenomenon caused by regime changes," adding, "Political polarization deepens, preventing consistent policy implementation." He further stated, "Long-term challenges requiring mid- to long-term responses remain unresolved," and emphasized, "It is time to seriously consider political reform."

According to the results of the "Public Perception Survey on the Current Status of Political Polarization in Korea and Institutional Alternatives" conducted by Park, 92.6% of the general public recognized ideological conflicts between conservative and progressive camps as severe.

Park said he plans to argue at next week’s seminar that electoral reform for a multiparty system is essential to dissolve the confrontation structure centered on the two major parties. In particular, he will present that party reform is essential, including a multiparty system based on policy ideology rather than region, and transparent and fair candidate nominations.

Professor Jung Jae-kwan of Korea University plans to analyze in his study titled "Reforming the Power Structure to Overcome Political Polarization" that the current power structure, characterized by a presidential system with excessive powers and political polarization, mutually worsens the problem, leading to democratic regression. Professor Jung points out that resolving this issue requires a constitutional amendment toward a decentralized presidential system and the introduction of a presidential runoff election system.

Professor Jang Seung-jin of Kookmin University, presenting on "Reform of Korea’s Electoral System and Party System," views the fundamental cause of the National Assembly’s crisis of cooperation and representation as the structure in which the two major parties monopolize all political resources and power. To address this, he argues that electoral reform should induce a "moderate multiparty system." He also proposes adjusting the number of lawmakers to expand the proportion of proportional representation seats and introducing regional proportional representation to overcome regionalism. Furthermore, he suggests that amending the Political Parties Act to allow the emergence and activities of regional parties would strengthen Korea’s local autonomy system and help alleviate regionalism.

Professor Ji Byung-geun of Chosun University, in his study on "Reform of the Electoral District Delimitation System," plans to propose measures to strengthen the representation of agricultural, fishing, and rural areas, such as introducing a minimum electoral district allocation system and delimiting electoral districts considering area size.

Choi Sang-han, president of the Korea Institute of Public Administration, said, "Political polarization deepens social conflicts and causes democratic regression, so it is a task that must be resolved," adding, "I hope this joint seminar leads to effective systems for political reform and meaningful changes in policy practice."