"Seoul and Jeonbuk Seats Decrease, Incheon and Gyeonggi Seats Increase"… Delimitation Commission Submits Electoral District Delimitation Plan to National Assembly (Comprehensive)

Average Population of 273,178 Applied
Democratic Party: "Biased Proposal Excluding Regional Representation"

The National Assembly Constituency Delimitation Committee submitted the proposed constituency boundaries for next year's general election to the National Assembly on the 5th. According to the proposal, the number of National Assembly members will decrease by one each in Seoul and Jeonbuk, while the number of seats in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will each increase by one.

On the same day, the Delimitation Committee prepared a constituency delimitation plan with an average population of 203,281 per constituency for next year's general election and submitted it to the National Assembly. The constituencies were drawn up according to the population deviation allowance range presented by the Constitutional Court, resulting in the Busan Dongnae-gu constituency with a population of 273,177 and the Jeonbuk Iksan-si Gap constituency with a population of 136,629 being delineated as a single constituency.

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to this delimitation plan, six constituencies will be merged and adjusted. Accordingly, ▲ Seoul Nowon-gu Gap, Eul, and Byeong constituencies will become Nowon-gu Gap and Eul constituencies ▲ Busan Nam-gu Gap and Eul constituencies will become Nam-gu ▲ Gyeonggi-do Bucheon-si Gap, Eul, Byeong, and Jeong constituencies will become Bucheon-si Gap, Eul, and Byeong ▲ Gyeonggi-do Ansan-si Sangnok-gu Gap and Eul and Ansan-si Danwon-gu Gap and Eul will become Ansan-si Gap, Eul, and Byeong ▲ Jeongeup-si Gochang-gun and Namwon-si Imsil-gun Sunchang-gun, Gimje-si Buan-gun, Wanju-gun Jinan-gun Muju-gun Jangsu-gun will be reorganized into Jeongeup-si Sunchang-gun Gochang-gun Buan-gun, Namwon-si Jinan-gun Muju-gun Jangsu-gun, and Gimje Wanju-gun Imsil-gun ▲ Jeonnam Mokpo-si and Naju-si Hwasun-gun, Haenam-gun Wando-gun Jindo-gun, Yeongam-gun Muan-gun Sinan-gun will be changed to Mokpo-si Sinan-gun, Naju-si Hwasun-gun Muan-gun, Haenam-gun Yeongam-gun Wando-gun Jindo-gun, respectively.

Conversely, six constituencies will be newly divided. The split constituencies are ▲ Busan Buk-gu Gangseo-gu Gap and Eul will become Buk-gu Gap and Eul and Gangseo-gu ▲ Incheon Seo-gu Gap and Eul will become Seo-gu Gap, Eul, and Byeong ▲ Gyeonggi-do Pyeongtaek-si Gap and Eul will become Pyeongtaek-si Gap, Eul, and Byeong ▲ Gyeonggi-do Hanam-si will become Hanam-si Gap and Eul ▲ Hwaseong-si Gap, Eul, and Byeong will become Hwaseong-si Gap, Eul, Byeong, and Jeong ▲ Suncheon-si Gwangyang-si Gokseong-gun Gurye-gun Gap and Eul will become Suncheon-si Gap and Eul and Gwangyang-si Gokseong-gun Gurye-gun, respectively.

Five areas will have their boundaries newly adjusted. Seoul's Jongno-gu and Jung-gu Seongdong-gu Gap and Eul will become Jongno-gu Jung-gu and Seongdong-gu Gap and Eul, and Daegu Dong-gu Gap and Eul will become Dong-gu Gunwi-gun Gap and Eul. Gyeonggi-do Dongducheon-si Yeoncheon-gun and Yangju-si, Pocheon-si Gapyeong-gun will be adjusted to Dongducheon-si Yangju-si Gap and Eul and Pocheon-si Yeoncheon-gun Gapyeong-gun. Gangwon-do Chuncheon-si Cheorwon-gun Hwacheon-gun Yanggu-gun Gap and Eul and Gangneung-si, Sokcho-si Inje-gun Goseong-gun Yangyang-gun will be changed to Chuncheon-si Gap and Eul, Gangneung-si Yangyang-gun, and Sokcho-si Cheorwon-gun Hwacheon-gun Yanggu-gun Inje-gun Goseong-gun, respectively. In Gyeongbuk, Yeongju-si Yeongyang-gun Bonghwa-gun Uljin-gun and Gunwi-gun Uiseong-gun Cheongsong-gun Yeongdeok-gun are adjusted and divided into Yeongju-si Yeongyang-gun Bonghwa-gun and Uiseong-gun Cheongsong-gun Yeongdeok-gun Uljin-gun.

There are also 15 places where boundaries within autonomous districts or cities/counties are adjusted. In Seoul, boundaries of Gangdong-gu Gap and Eul; in Busan, Saha-gu Gap and Eul; in Incheon, Yeonsu-gu Gap and Eul and Gyeyang-gu Gap and Eul; in Gyeonggi-do, Suwon-si Byeong and Mu, Gwangmyeong-si Gap and Eul, Goyang-si Gap, Eul, and Byeong, Siheung-si Gap and Eul, Yongin-si Eul, Byeong, and Jeong, and Paju-si Gap and Eul are adjusted. In Chungnam, Cheonan-si Gap, Eul, and Byeong; in Jeonbuk, Jeonju-si Gap and Byeong and Iksan-si Gap and Eul; in Jeonnam, Yeosu-si Gap and Eul; and in Gyeongnam, Gimhae-si Gap and Eul boundaries are changed.

Regarding this delimitation plan, the Delimitation Committee stated in a position paper, "We had no choice but to comply with the current law's delimitation standards, which prohibit population proportionality and partial division of autonomous districts and cities/counties, so we could not find a way to resolve so-called mega-constituencies." They added, "Given the current population structure and delimitation standards, this issue will inevitably recur, so legislative supplementation is needed in the future."

The People Power Party showed a cautious stance toward the delimitation plan. Kim Sang-hoon, the party's floor whip on the Political Reform Special Committee, said, "This is a plan adjusted according to the standards presented by the Speaker of the National Assembly and has already been disclosed, so rather than making a separate statement, it would be appropriate to present the party's opinion during the ruling and opposition delimitation negotiations." He added, "Since the plan was drawn up according to the upper and lower limits based on population changes rather than issues of advantage or disadvantage by party, I think we should agree on the broad framework." However, Kim also said, "Boundary adjustments are an issue that both ruling and opposition parties should consider together."

The Democratic Party of Korea stated on the 5th regarding the 'Constituency Adjustment Plan' sent to the National Assembly by the Delimitation Committee, "It is a highly (ruling party) biased plan that does not consider regional representation and is absolutely unacceptable." Cho Jung-sik, the Democratic Party's Secretary-General, and Kim Young-bae, the opposition floor whip of the National Assembly's Political Reform Special Committee, said at a briefing at the National Assembly that day, "The delimitation plan sent by the Delimitation Committee to the National Assembly is a biased plan reflecting only the People Power Party's opinions, lacking the principles and rationality of Article 25 of the Public Official Election Act." They added, "The Democratic Party firmly opposes the unfair and unprincipled delimitation plan of the Delimitation Committee and will adjust the plan in a balanced and rational manner, starting with a broad agreement on the number of constituencies by region through responsible negotiations between the Political Reform Special Committee and both parties."

Meanwhile, when the Speaker of the National Assembly refers the constituency boundaries to the Political Reform Special Committee, the committee must prepare the delimitation plan as a bill. However, if the plan clearly violates the Public Official Election Act, a resubmission can be requested with two-thirds of the total members' approval once. If a resubmission request is made, the Delimitation Committee must submit a new delimitation plan to the Speaker within 10 days. Regarding this, Representative Kim said, "Article 24 of the Public Official Election Act includes a clause on resubmission requests," and "Beyond negotiations between the floor whips of the ruling and opposition parties on the Political Reform Special Committee, discussions on whether to request resubmission will proceed through negotiations between party leaderships." He added, "If discussions focus on the delimitation standards and principles, rationality, and fairness that have been upheld in constitutional history, an agreement can be reached quickly."

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