By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Lee Hoi-chang, chairman of the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party (LFP), proposed Thursday that the number of lawmakers be reduced by 30 percent from the current 299 to 210.
In a press conference to mark the first anniversary of the founding of his party, Lee also called for definite, prompt financial support and bold restructuring to reinvigorate the economy.
``To elevate the efficiency of National Assembly management, and prepare for the post-era of unification, it is essential to cut the number of lawmakers and reorganize the legislature,'' he said.
The unicameral legislature consists of 245 lawmakers elected from districts nationwide through direct voting and 54 legislators picked under the proportional representation system.
The LFP leader, a three-term lawmaker elected in a district in South Chungcheong Province, also suggested increasing the ratio of proportional representatives in order to prevent lawmakers from pursuing populism.
The total number of Assemblymen should be reduced to 210 and that of proportional representatives should be increased to about 100, he said.
``Instead, stricter screening to select proportional representatives is required to ditch unqualified candidates,'' he added.
In the Assembly, the LFP has 18 seats, including four set aside under the proportional representation system.
Lee, 74, who ran unsuccessfully in the presidential election in December 2007, said the President, civil servants and lawmakers need to share the burden that all people are suffering from during the economic downturn. Lee was also defeated by former President Roh Moo-hyun in the 2002 presidential election.
``People, including the President and lawmakers, except for the low-income bracket, should share pain of the recession by freezing their salaries,'' he said.
As part of efforts to boost the economy, he called for the government to push for a supplementary budget as early as possible and provide more support to small- and medium-sized companies.
Lee also urged labor unions, often considered too aggressive, to change their stance.
``Labor unions should be respected for their sound activities but keep in mind that some harmful acts would not be beneficial for themselves or anybody else,'' he said.
As for the North Korean issues, especially Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs, Lee suggested ``stronger'' diplomacy.
``We should ask Washington for a complete solution. At the same time, the six-party talks should be switched into a multilateral security forum,'' he said.