Democratic Party Riding the Flower Palanquin, Can They Take on Electoral Reform Again?

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Lee Nak-yeon, standing election committee chairman, Lee In-young, floor leader, Woo Hee-jong of the Democratic Citizen Party, Choi Bae-geun, standing election committee chairman, and other committee members and elected officials attended the disbandment ceremony of the election committee held on the 17th at the central party office in Yeouido, Seoul, shouting "Fighting." Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] 'The seats in the National Assembly should be allocated in proportion to the voters' will.'

This was included in the constitutional amendment proposal initiated by the Blue House in 2018 but later scrapped. It has also been a core focus of political reform emphasized since former President Roh Moo-hyun's administration. The Democratic Party of Korea, despite anticipating a loss in the number of seats, pushed through the introduction of the mixed-member proportional representation system at the end of last year, overcoming opposition from conservative opposition parties. However, the satellite party loophole undermined the system. As a result, the Democratic Party became the biggest beneficiary, while the Justice Party had to swallow their disappointment. The United Future Party, which strongly opposed the mixed-member proportional system, suffered a crushing defeat contrary to their expectations.

The current electoral system, whose original purpose was lost due to the emergence of satellite parties, must inevitably be revised. Having secured the sweet fruit of 180 seats and holding the key, it is crucial whether the Democratic Party can make a magnanimous decision again.

The commitment to revive the original intent of the electoral law revision has already been made. Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party, declared participation in the proportional representation coalition party on the 13th of last month, a month before the general election, saying, "In the 21st National Assembly, we will supplement the shortcomings of the electoral law so that such incidents never happen again." Lee Nak-yeon, chairman of the Democratic Party's COVID-19 National Crisis Response Committee, also said on the 30th of the same month, "It is clear that the party system has been somewhat damaged. There is a need to re-examine and correct the Party Act and the Public Official Election Act."

However, since they have risen to the status of a 'major ruling party,' it is uncertain how actively they will proceed. At the end of last year, they allied with minor parties to pass the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) establishment bill and adjust investigative authority between the police and prosecutors, but now the Democratic Party can push reform tasks forward on its own.

Despite the justification for the mixed-member proportional system, there are opinions that its practical application is not easy. Kim Hong-gul, a proportional representative elected member of the Together Citizens' Party, appeared on YTN Radio on the 20th and said, "Personally, under the presidential system, mixed-member proportional or multi-party systems are not easy," adding, "For mixed-member proportional to succeed, the number of proportional seats must increase significantly, which means the total number of assembly members must increase. However, since the public does not want that, there is a fundamental limitation." Regarding electoral law revision, he said, "It seems that a very long discussion is needed. It is difficult to reach any conclusion right now."

However, considering that in the 21st general election, unlike the number of constituency seats, the vote shares were 49.9% for the Democratic Party and 41.4% for the United Future Party, there are criticisms that the Democratic Party should not judge based solely on this victory.

Seo Bok-kyung, a researcher at Sogang University’s Institute of Contemporary Politics, said, "We need to pay close attention to the fact that the vote share difference between the two major parties was not large. The overall outcome can change depending on the results in closely contested constituencies," adding, "The key to electoral reform lies with the Democratic Party, but we should not approach it with the assumption that the situation will continue as it did in this general election."

The problem is whether the difficult issue of expanding the total number of assembly members can be overcome. As confirmed before this general election, it is practically very difficult to reduce the number of constituency seats where incumbents exist. To increase the proportion of proportional representatives, the overall size must be expanded, but public opposition is strong. There are also predictions that the existing electoral system will have to be maintained for the time being.

Lee Jun-han, professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at Incheon National University, said, "Discussions about increasing the number of assembly members are realistically difficult, and it is also hard to find ways to block satellite parties," adding, "This is not just a problem of the system but also involves holding each party accountable. Although voters gave their votes to various parties in the last general election, the disappointment compared to expectations was great, so it can be seen that they were not chosen."

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