Hong Ik-pyo: "The Ruling Party Must Decide on Electoral District Positions"... Final Ultimatum for Delimitation Negotiations

"Originally welcomed the plan, but now refuse to accept it"
"Either accept the delineation plan or bring a bold revision"
Ruling and opposition parties expected to handle the delineation plan at the plenary session on the 29th

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the electoral district delineation plan to be applied in the 22nd general election as unfair, but issued a 'final ultimatum,' stating that if the People Power Party does not bring a bold revision proposal, the original plan will be processed as is.

At the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 27th, Floor Leader Hong said, "With the general election approaching, the electoral districts have not been finalized, causing great confusion to the public," and added, "The Democratic Party tried to improve the delineation plan, which lacked principles, was biased, and did not consider depopulated areas, and was unilaterally favorable to the ruling party, but the People Power Party has been very uncooperative in negotiations so far."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

He pointed out, "The delineation plan submitted by the National Election Commission is very biased in favor of the ruling party and is difficult to accept," and added, "There is also a significant issue of regional equity in the number of seats. For example, Busan, with a population of 3.3 million, has 18 seats, whereas Incheon, with a similar population of 2.98 million, has only 13 seats."

He continued, "Although the Democratic Party finds the delineation plan very unfair, it has expressed a position to endure the disadvantage because the imminent general election cannot be disrupted," and said, "Unlike the ruling party, which irresponsibly pushes the electoral district issue into an unconstitutional crisis, the Democratic Party has taken a stance like the mother in the Judgment of Solomon."

According to the National Election Commission, the Electoral District Delineation Committee notified the National Assembly at the end of last year of a plan to reduce one seat each in Seoul and Jeonbuk and increase one seat each in Gyeonggi and Incheon. While the People Power Party expressed a position to respect the plan, the Democratic Party was dissatisfied with the reduction of seats in Jeonbuk, considering the pros and cons of losing the 'Honam stronghold' seats.

The ruling and opposition parties have been negotiating with the goal of processing the delineation plan at the final plenary session of the February extraordinary session scheduled for the 29th, but have struggled to narrow their differences. Accordingly, on the 23rd, the Democratic Party changed its position to 'process as is,' while the ruling party urged the inclusion of the 'special measures for four regions: Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and Jeonnam,' which had been tentatively agreed upon by both parties earlier.

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the party strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Referring to the series of situations, Floor Leader Hong said, "Regarding the delineation plan proposed by the Delineation Committee, the People Power Party had welcomed it, saying it was not favorable to any particular party," and criticized, "Now that we say to process it as is, it is incomprehensible that they say they cannot accept it."

He added, "Either boldly propose a revision or accept the original plan from the Delineation Committee; decide on one of the two positions," and emphasized, "If the delineation plan is not passed at the plenary session on the 29th and the general election cannot be conducted normally, it will be entirely the responsibility of the government and the ruling party."

Im Oh-kyung, the floor deputy leader, told reporters after the floor strategy meeting, "Regarding the electoral district delineation, both parties will make concessions to the extent possible so that the issue can be brought to the plenary session on the 29th," and explained, "Discussions with the ruling party will continue until the 28th."

Meanwhile, the plenary session on the 29th is also expected to include a re-vote on the 'Double Special Prosecutor Act,' which President Yoon Seok-yeol had exercised a veto against. From the ruling party's perspective, concerns about defections due to nomination losses are inevitable, so there is speculation that the Democratic Party may use this as leverage in the electoral district delineation negotiations.

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