No party in Korea truly represents the entire nation, as evidenced by the outcome of the 2008 parliamentary elections. The electoral divide along the boundary between Yeongnam and Honam was as clear-cut as it could be.
In the elections, the ruling Grand National Party carried none of the 31 electoral districts in the southwest region of Honam. On the other hand, the main opposition Democratic Party merely won two of the 67 districts in the rival southeast region, Yeongnam.
This electoral divide was a historical norm, not an anomaly, no matter how strange it may have looked to outsiders. No cure was found for the age-old regional antipathy that flared up when parliamentary and presidential elections came around.
Now the National Election Commission has proposed grappling with this problem by making a modest change to the election rules. The idea is to allow parliamentary nominees running in a rival region to register as candidates for election on proportional representation at the same time.
According to a simulation conducted by the commission, the ruling party would have been able to win five seats, and the opposition party six seats, in the 2008 vote in this manner.
The rival parties support the proposal. But the downside would be the weakening of the proportional representation system designed in favor of women, the handicapped and certain professionals.
One solution would be to increase the number of parliamentary seats for proportional representation, currently 54, by 10 or more. But it would be easier said than done, given the electorate’s aversion to an increase in the total number of lawmakers, which stands at 299 now.
Another problem is that the idea is opposed by small parties.
Nonetheless, it merits meticulous study. It can be implemented in the upcoming elections if the commission succeeds in building a public consensus in its favor.
