[Magic Number 90%]⑫ Nam In-soon "To Make Them Give Up Privileges, We Need to Increase the Number of Lawmakers"

"Among 300 members, 47 are proportional representatives, failing to address single-member district system flaws"
"Even if local constituency seats are reduced, proportional representation must increase... at least 60-70 seats"
Kim Nam-guk incident... "Despite youth political disappointment, a gender system is necessary"

"The National Assembly must reflect the face of the people."

Nam In-soon, Chairperson of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform (Jeonggae Special Committee), said in an interview with Asia Economy held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, "It must be able to represent the diverse voices of our society, including youth, women, and people with disabilities," diagnosing that under the current system where 47 out of 300 National Assembly members are proportional representatives, it is difficult to secure representativeness and proportionality.

Chairperson Nam agreed that National Assembly members should relinquish their privileges and work to restore trust, but pointed out that the ruling People Power Party's proposal to reduce the number of members is not the right solution. Nam said, "If the number of National Assembly members decreases, privileges will become more concentrated," adding, "To make members give up their privileges, the number of members should rather be increased." She explained that comparing constituencies where one member represents 170,000 people and others where one member represents 30,000 people shows where elitism is more likely to occur. The former is Korea, and the latter is Sweden and Denmark.

She said, "Even by OECD country standards, the number of people represented by one National Assembly member in South Korea is very large," and added, "I think the number of members should be increased while simultaneously reducing the privileges and special benefits that members have."

The problem is public consent. Eight out of ten people oppose increasing the number of National Assembly members because they see it not as reducing privileges but rather as 'increasing their own share.' (Refer to '[Magic Number 90%]⑪ The taboo of 'increasing the number of members'... 'Political trust' comes first'). Chairperson Nam emphasized that "it cannot be done without public consent" and that efforts to gain public trust are necessary. However, she noted that the Jeonggae Special Committee paid attention to the fact that in a public opinion survey conducted last month with 500 citizens regarding election system reform, the response supporting 'increasing the number of proportional representatives' rose from 27% before the discussion to 70% after the discussion. She explained that after going through a public discussion process that sufficiently discussed the purpose, goals, and direction of election system reform, vague opposition based on 'political rejection' decreased. Increasing public understanding is key to election system reform.

Nam emphasized, "There are also increasing responses that proportional representatives should be increased even if the number of constituency seats is reduced," and said, "We must increase proportional representatives so that more diverse people can enter the National Assembly." She said, "We have a mixed system of 'constituency + proportional representation,' but with only 47 proportional seats currently, the disadvantages of the single-member district system cannot be compensated. The ratio should be at least '2:1,' so proportional seats should be at least 60 to 70."

Nam In-soon, Chairperson of the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Nam In-soon, Chairperson of the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

She also emphasized expanding political participation of youth and women. Although there has been disappointment in youth politics due to incidents like the Kim Nam-guk lawmaker coin scandal, a systematic system to nurture young politicians should be established and properly developed so that the voices of people in their 20s and 30s can be reflected in the National Assembly.

As the head of the Korean delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly, Chairperson Nam said, "When discussing the proportion of young politicians at the IPU, South Korea ranks at the bottom," adding, "Political advanced countries like Sweden and Denmark provide opportunities for political education and experience from youth. In Korea, it only happens briefly during elections." She also pointed out, "The party's decision-making bodies should include young top committee members, and a certain proportion of youth and women should be allocated in party officials to open paths for real political participation. Without such opportunities, they rely solely on nominations."

Nam said, "The average age of those called young politicians in Korea is 45. It is necessary to nurture young politicians more systematically by dividing them into 'early youth and late youth' or '20s, 30s, and 40s' generations."

Nam In-soon, Chairperson of the National Assembly Special Committee on Political Reform. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Nam, who was forcibly expelled from school after participating in campus democratization movements during her studies and devoted 30 years to women's and labor movements, earning the title of 'matriarch of the women's movement,' is also highly interested in gender equality within the National Assembly. From the 19th to the 21st National Assembly, she served as co-chair of the National Assembly Gender Equality Policy Research Forum, chairperson of the party's Special Committee on Childcare, and chairperson of the party's Committee on Expanding Women's Political Participation. Even now, as chairperson of the Jeonggae Special Committee, she has raised 'gender parity' as one of the political reform agendas.

Nam said, "There is a 50% quota system for proportional representatives, but proportional representatives only make up 15% of all members. Therefore, the quota for women in constituencies should also be increased," adding, "The related bill is pending in the Public Administration and Security Committee, and we plan to discuss it in the Jeonggae Special Committee in consultation with the party floor leaders."

Finally, Chairperson Nam said, "The two-party politics is not at fault." She added, "The problem is the extreme confrontation, but I hope that in the 22nd National Assembly, an alternative reform party of a size capable of forming a negotiation group will emerge to reflect more diverse voices of the people." She emphasized, "It would be good if it plays a balancing role, prevents confrontational politics, and makes the National Assembly a true 'mirror of the people.' We will continue to work hard for this in the Jeonggae Special Committee."

<>