Discussion on 'Electoral District Delimitation' Gains Momentum... Can Ruling and Opposition Parties Narrow Differences?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] With the ruling and opposition parties agreeing to convene the February extraordinary session of the National Assembly, discussions on 'electoral district delimitation,' which had been delayed due to political conflicts, have also entered the main track. However, significant difficulties are expected during the agreement process due to the large differences in positions between the parties.

The ruling and opposition parties agreed on the 11th to hold the February extraordinary session of the National Assembly from the 17th of this month to the 17th of next month. During this extraordinary session, discussions are expected on the formation and activities of a special committee on the novel coronavirus infection, as well as on electoral district delimitation.

With the April 15 general election just over two months away, the political world's greatest focus is on electoral district delimitation. The parties have decided to begin discussions on electoral district delimitation immediately through a meeting of the secretaries of the National Assembly's Administration and Security Committee.

According to the election law, electoral districts are delineated based on the population as of 15 months before the election date (end of January 2019). Also, the allowable population deviation ratio between the district with the largest population and the district with the smallest population is 2 to 1. Accordingly, based on the population as of January 31 last year, the lower population limit for electoral districts is 136,565, and the upper population limit is 273,129.

Based on these criteria, areas expected to be subdivided currently include Sejong, Chuncheon in Gangwon, and Suncheon in Jeonnam. These regions exceed the upper population limit for electoral districts. Areas considered for consolidation include Gunpo Gap and Eul in Gyeonggi, Sangnok Gap and Eul and Danwon Gap and Eul in Ansan, and Gangnam Gap, Eul, and Byeong in Seoul. It is estimated that about 15 to 16 districts will require fine adjustments due to population deviations.

While both ruling and opposition parties share the view that population deviation should be considered as much as possible when delimiting electoral districts, their positions diverge completely on the details.

Currently, the ruling Democratic Party and other pro-government parties hold the position that reductions in rural and fishing village districts should be minimized, and they have formed a consensus especially on maintaining the number of seats in the Honam region. On the other hand, the Liberty Korea Party argues that, for the sake of vote equality, electoral districts should be consolidated in the order of Gwangju, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Busan.

Aside from these positions of the ruling and opposition parties, demands for expansion and reduction of electoral districts are pouring in from various regions. In particular, politicians and residents in the Gangwon region are requesting that the number of seats in the area, currently eight, be expanded to nine. Residents of Seongdong-gu in Seoul have also requested a return to two single-member districts. Additionally, residents of the northern Gyeongbuk region argue that electoral districts should be redrawn considering transportation and cultural living areas.

As the interests of the political world and various regions become entangled like this, there are forecasts that it will be difficult to finalize the electoral district delimitation by the original target date of the 5th of next month, when the ruling and opposition parties aimed to process the delimitation plan. In such a case, candidates for the general election will inevitably face confusion about the extent to which they should conduct election campaigns. In the 20th general election, electoral district delimitation was completed 42 days before the election, and in the 19th election, it was finalized 44 days prior.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.