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[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 9th, Jeon Hae-cheol, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed the view that the possibility of moving to a large electoral district system where 7 to 10 members are elected from one constituency should be kept open in relation to next April's general election. Jeon is a senior (3-term) Democratic Party lawmaker who welcomed President Yoon Seok-yeol's proposal for a large electoral district system.

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Jeon said, "President Yoon Seok-yeol and Speaker Kim Jin-pyo have suggested that the system should be reformed and even presented a specific schedule. I expressed my welcome because I believe that an electoral district reform that can enhance proportionality and representation as well as ease regionalism will be possible in the future."

Jeon said, "One of the misunderstandings is that the large electoral district system means electing only 2 or 3 members per constituency, but that is not the case," adding, "(The number of elected members per constituency) can be increased significantly, up to 7 or 10 members in a large electoral district system, so this aspect should be kept open for sufficient discussion."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jeon said, "If proportional representation can be resolved, I think we can negotiate freely on the regional system, whether it is a small electoral district system, a medium electoral district system, or a large electoral district system."

If the large electoral district system mentioned by Jeon materializes, theoretically, Gangwon Province and Chungcheongbuk Province could be merged into a single constituency. In the 2020 21st general election, 8 seats were allocated to each of Gangwon and Chungbuk. Jeonnam and Jeonbuk were each allocated 10 seats. Jeonnam and Jeonbuk could also hold the general election as a single constituency each.

If this happens, Jeonnam and Jeonbuk, as well as Gangwon and Chungbuk, could expect seat gains by third, fourth, and fifth parties. Regional monopolies would be broken, and an electoral district structure that enables a practical multi-party system is expected to unfold.

However, electoral district reform is not easy to coordinate because interests differ among political parties, factions, regions, and lawmakers. Nevertheless, Jeon holds the position that electoral system reform is possible.

Regarding the feasibility of realizing the large electoral district system, Jeon said, "I think it can be done," adding, "During the 20th National Assembly, I played a leading role in the task force formed by the 4+1 coalition to revise the election law. But in the case of the 21st National Assembly, rather than a few people or the leadership leading it, about 50 lawmakers have already gathered opinions that this needs to be changed, held forums, and proposed alternatives."

Meanwhile, Jeon is a political rival of Lee Jae-myung, competing for the Democratic Party candidate position for Gyeonggi Province governor in the 7th nationwide simultaneous local elections in 2018. He served as Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety during the Moon Jae-in administration and currently serves as the chairman of the Environment and Labor Committee in the second half of the 21st National Assembly.

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