[The Editors' Verdict] How Long Will the Deceptive 'Satellite Party' Election System Last?

The Current Public Official Election Act Adopts a Semi-Proportional Representation System
Problems Surfaced in the 21st General Election, Making Revision Unavoidable
Agreement on the 'Rules of the Game' Requires Advanced Political Skills from Both Ruling and Opposition Parties

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘9,441,520 votes (33.8%) vs 9,307,112 votes (33.4%).’

This was just three years ago. Nearly 20 million citizens concentrated their votes on two political parties. Two out of three voters cast their ballots for these parties.

What were the names of the parties that ranked first and second in the proportional representation vote in the 21st general election held on April 15, 2020? Few people might be able to name them correctly. Most would have vague memories or give incorrect answers.

The correct answer is Mirae Hangukdang and Deobureo Simindang. It is not surprising that many respond with "There was such a party?" since these parties were hastily formed ahead of the general election. They no longer exist. The 21st general election was a deceptive election for the public.

The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party (then known as the United Future Party) effectively operated satellite parties. To avoid confusing voters, they used the common words ‘Mirae’ (Future) and ‘Deobureo’ (Together) in the party names.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The emergence of satellite parties is related to the semi-proportional representation system introduced in the 21st general election. The seat allocation structure stipulated in Article 189 of the Public Official Election Act is so complex that it is difficult for the general public to understand.

Simply put, the mixed-member proportional representation system allocates seats in proportion to the party vote share. At that time, the Democratic Party swept 64% of the constituency seats.

The United Future Party took 33% of the seats. Under the proportional representation system, parties with a higher share of constituency seats than their proportional vote share do not receive proportional seats. Since the first and second largest parties in the National Assembly could have zero proportional seats, a compromise was made. Of the total 47 proportional seats, 30 seats apply the proportional linkage rate, and the remaining 17 seats are distributed by the existing method, resulting in the semi-proportional representation system.

However, the two major parties, reluctant to share the 30 seats with third parties or smaller parties, used the trick of satellite parties to monopolize even those seats. The surprising fact is that the semi-proportional representation system, called the satellite party election system, is part of the current Public Official Election Act.

If the deceptive election law is not changed this time, the satellite party incident may recur. The problem is that time is running out. Electoral district delimitation must be completed by April 10, one year before the general election. Not only must the election system be revised, but the composition of individual electoral districts must also be finalized.

Reforming the election system, which sets the ‘rules of the game,’ requires extremely high-level political skills. It is not a task that lawmakers can resolve through a few rounds of talks in a consultative body. The demands and interests differ among the ruling and opposition parties, within parties, and across regions.

Concessions in election reform are directly linked to one’s own electoral defeat. This is why the fierce struggle without any compromise continues. There are many issues requiring agreement. It must be decided whether to maintain the current single-member district system or introduce a multi-member district system. If proportional representation is expanded, there must also be agreement on how to reduce constituency seats.

Election reform is a far more complex political equation than a presidential election. Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties face the greatest challenge since the launch of the 21st National Assembly. Do they realize that they cannot afford to be complacent, trapped in political strife?

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