Option 1: Urban-Rural Mixed Electoral District System
Option 2: Open List Large Electoral District System
Option 3: Single-Member District + Regional Proportional Representation
The National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform adopted an amendment to the election law on the 22nd as a "Resolution on the Improvement of the National Assembly Election System," which includes a mixed urban-rural electoral district system, an open-list large electoral district system, and a small electoral district system with regional proportional representation. All three proposals maintain the current total number of National Assembly members at 300.
On the same day, the Special Committee on Political Reform held a plenary session at the National Assembly and passed the resolution related to the election law amendment. Initially, the Political Relations Law Improvement Subcommittee of the Special Committee accepted the National Assembly Speaker’s advisory committee’s proposals, which included ▲Plan 1: small electoral districts + regional parallel proportional representation ▲Plan 2: small electoral districts + regional semi-compensatory proportional representation ▲Plan 3: large electoral districts (mixed urban-rural electoral districts) + regional parallel proportional representation. However, Plans 1 and 2 included proposals to increase the number of seats in the National Assembly by 50, which became controversial as this was accepted as an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties to increase the number of lawmakers.
In response, the Special Committee prepared amendments to the resolution passed by the subcommittee through consultations among the party coordinators. All amendments included provisions to maintain the number of National Assembly seats at 300. Accordingly, Plan 3, which was originally the only proposal maintaining the total number of 300 members with a large electoral district system (mixed urban-rural electoral districts) + regional parallel proportional representation, was adopted as Plan 1 in the final resolution.
Plan 2, newly added, includes an open-list large electoral district system with nationwide parallel proportional representation. This plan sets electoral districts with 4 to 7 members, allowing voters to mark both parties and candidates. The allocation of district seats is calculated by multiplying each party’s vote share by the number of seats in the respective electoral district. Winners are determined based on the candidates’ vote rankings within the seats allocated to their party. Proportional seats are elected through a nationwide election using a semi-compensatory method.
Plan 3 is similar to Plan 2 discussed in the subcommittee, consisting of small electoral districts + regional semi-compensatory proportional representation, but the number of members was adjusted to 300.
With the resolution passing the Special Committee on Political Reform, it will proceed to the plenary session on the 23rd, and from the 27th, the full committee will convene to begin in-depth discussions on the election law.
Jeon Jae-su, the coordinator of the Special Committee on Political Reform from the Democratic Party of Korea, said after the meeting, "The resolution passed in the plenary session is merely a procedural formality necessary to open the full committee discussions and is not a guideline for the upcoming full committee debate." He added, "The detailed discussion on the election system will involve all 300 National Assembly members expressing their opinions on their preferred election system according to their conscience and conviction."
Regarding the maintenance of the current number of members, he said, "The consistent principle upheld by the Special Committee was to minimize the issues that need to be explained to the public." He continued, "There was a position within the Special Committee regarding the number of members, and expanding the number of members was never a matter seriously discussed by the committee." He also mentioned, "There was a minor incident before adopting the resolution due to the advisory committee’s opinion, but that was not the opinion of the People Power Party or the Democratic Party."
About the full committee sessions starting on the 27th, Jeon said, "They are expected to last about two weeks, with 5 to 7 sessions, each lasting about 5 to 6 hours, ensuring members have sufficient time to speak." He added, "The first and second days will be broadcast live with the cooperation of media outlets, and we will strive to operate the full committee in a way that broadly gains public consensus on why the election law needs to change and what issues exist."
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