Gyeongnam Provincial Council Opposes Reduction of Regional Wide-Area Assembly Districts in Military Areas... "Violates the Spirit of National Balanced Development in the Constitution"

On the 13th, a press conference was held in the main conference room of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council with the four county governors of Haman, Changnyeong, Goseong, and Geochang, Kim Ha-yong, chairman of the provincial council, and 12 council members to maintain the current number of seats in the metropolitan council electoral districts. Photo by Sanghyun Lee lsh2055@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] As concerns arise over the reduction of regional council seats in the military areas of Gyeongnam Province, including Haman, Changnyeong, Goseong, and Geochang, the Gyeongnam Provincial Council has launched an organized response to maintain the current regional council electoral districts.

On the 13th, 12 provincial council members, including Jo Geun-je, Haman County Governor; Han Jeong-woo, Changnyeong County Governor; Baek Doo-hyun, Goseong County Governor; Gu In-mo, Geochang County Governor; and Kim Ha-yong, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council, held a joint press conference in the Gyeongnam Provincial Council main conference room, stating, "We oppose the reduction of regional council electoral districts in the 2022 local elections."

At the press conference, the four counties urged the government and the National Assembly to establish special provisions under the Public Official Election Act that consider the poor conditions of rural fishing villages and ensure equitable distribution of council seats as a fundamental solution.

Additionally, the four counties pledged to deliver petitions and proposals reflecting the will of their residents to the National Assembly and the Special Committee on Political Reform, and to act jointly in solidarity with rural fishing areas nationwide facing the threat of electoral district consolidation.

This electoral district controversy began in June 2018 when the Constitutional Court ruled to change the population deviation ratio for regional council members from 4:1 to 3:1.

As of the end of August, the resident registration population of Gyeongnam Province is 3,322,373. Based on the 52 seats in the provincial council excluding proportional representatives, the population per electoral district is 63,891. Applying the Constitutional Court’s population deviation ratio of 3:1, the upper limit is 95,837 and the lower limit is 31,945.

The four counties of Haman, Changnyeong, Goseong, and Geochang do not meet the lower population limit, putting one electoral district in each county at risk of being abolished.

The attendees criticized the Constitutional Court’s ruling as excessively population-centered and failing to reflect another constitutional principle of balanced national development.

They also argued that the reduction of regional electoral districts is not merely a matter of decreasing seats but weakens the regional representation of rural fishing areas, deepening the gap between urban and rural areas, which could lead to irreversible regional population disparities.

Han Jeong-woo, Changnyeong County Governor, said, "The issue of electoral district delimitation must consider both population representation and regional representation as important factors," adding, "We will do our best to maintain the electoral districts to protect the sovereignty of residents in rural fishing areas."

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