Lee: "Half-Price Election Law for Politically Vulnerable"
Restrictions on Group Text Messaging During Campaigns
Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, announced that he plans to introduce the "Public Official Election Act Amendment" as his first bill, which supports the challenges of young politicians and minor party candidates in public elections. As Lee is affiliated with a minor party, the first hurdle will likely be whether he can secure the minimum requirement of 10 signatures to propose the bill.
On the afternoon of the 20th, Lee introduced the amendment at a press conference, describing it as a "half-price election law" for political underdogs. He explained that the bill aims to strengthen the purpose of the "public election system" by increasing the possibility of reimbursing election expenses and to reduce the "text message pollution" that occurs during election campaigns. He stated, "(The amendment) is to ensure that excellent individuals with ability and passion, not personal wealth or political status, receive the people's choice," adding, "I thought that political underdogs such as the younger generation and women with career interruptions should be able to enter elections easily."
The amendment includes provisions to expand the scope of election expense reimbursement. Under the current law, candidates must obtain at least 10% of the votes to be reimbursed for some or all of their campaign expenses. According to the amendment, candidates who receive 5-10% of the votes will also be reimbursed for half (50%) of their expenses. Additionally, the amendment fundamentally blocks individual candidates from sending group text messages during campaigns and requires the election commission to send them collectively on their behalf, aiming to alleviate concerns about personal information leaks.
Other provisions include reducing the number of election staff, standardizing the number of permitted campaigners to three, and ensuring that candidate portal advertisements are equally entrusted and implemented.
Reform New Party members Lee Jun-seok, Lee Joo-young, and Cheon Ha-ram are arriving at their National Assembly offices on the first day of the 22nd National Assembly term. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
However, to propose the bill, the support of 10 lawmakers is required. The Reform New Party, which has three members, needs at least seven more lawmakers from other parties to join. Lee said on the day, "Together with fellow lawmakers who share this intention, I will promptly propose the bill, engage in intense discussions, and do my best to ensure its passage."
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