Hong Joon-pyo "Large Constituency System and Presidential System Are Inappropriate... Opposes Increasing Proportional Representation"

"Most Reform Nominations Are Top-Down, Allowing for Replacement Nominations"

Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, expressed opposition to the large multi-member district system currently being discussed by the Special Committee on Political Reform on the 9th, stating that "it is not an appropriate system under a presidential responsibility system."

On the same day, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "There was a time when I also advocated for the large multi-member district system," adding, "I made such a claim to alleviate regionalism and strengthen representation, but how futile that claim is in Korean politics is clearly revealed when looking at the Democratic Justice Party during the Fifth Republic."

He further argued, "The large multi-member district system being discussed now might be possible under a parliamentary system with a multi-party and coalition government, but it is not an appropriate system under a presidential responsibility system."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu. [Photo by Yonhap News]

The large multi-member district system is an electoral system where two or more representatives are elected from one electoral district. Compared to the single-member district system, which elects only one representative, it has the advantage of preventing wasted votes. However, when multiple representatives are elected from one region, the electoral district becomes larger, which raises concerns that some areas may be neglected, weakening regional representation.

Mayor Hong stated, "I also oppose increasing the number of appointed proportional representatives, which should be abolished like the Yoo Jeong-hoe," and added, "If political reform is to be made, it is reasonable to form the National Assembly with only 150 to 200 local constituency members." He continued, "Although the Anglo-American bottom-up nomination system is ideal, it should be understood that most reform nominations were possible only when conducted in a top-down manner."

Earlier, the Special Committee on Political Reform proposed three electoral reform plans: ▲ single-member district + semi-proportional representation ▲ mixed urban-rural large multi-member district + regional and semi-proportional representation ▲ full proportional representation.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo and the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties agreed to form a plenary committee for discussions on electoral reform at the plenary session scheduled for the 23rd.

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