By Na Jeong-ju
Staff reporter
A presidential panel proposed a reform of the country's electoral system, Tuesday, to address deep-rooted regionalism, saying it is one of the biggest hurdles the nation must remove to achieve social integration.
"It is a big social problem that a political party monopolizes electoral districts in a certain region. We must address such divisions to achieve national harmony," the Presidential Committee on Social Cohesion said in a report to President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae.
During the meeting, Lee said he would put top priority on addressing social conflict deriving from regional and ideological divisions and the widening income gap between the rich and poor.
Political parties have engaged in occasional debates on redrawing electoral and administrative districts, but little progress has been made on the topic due to opposing partisan interests. They basically agree on the need, but differ on how it should be conducted.
Under the current system, only one candidate with the most votes is elected as a lawmaker in a district.
The panel, led by former Prime Minister Goh Kun, proposed that multiple candidates be elected to the National Assembly to represent a bigger constituency. Goh, 72, served as Seoul mayor, and prime minister twice including during the previous Roh Moo-hyun administration.
Regionalism manifested itself again in the June 2 local elections.
The conservative Grand National Party easily won in most districts in the southeastern Gyeongsang provinces, while the liberal Democratic Party gained victory in the southwestern Jeolla region.
It remains to be seen how the parties will respond to the suggestion. Any change of the election system requires approval by the National Assembly.
President Lee has urged parties to resume talks on revamping electoral and administrative districts, saying the current system, based on reform measures put in place 120 years ago, is too archaic to reflect changing needs.
"There are no ruling party lawmakers in the Jeolla provinces. There are no opposition lawmakers in the Gyeongsang provinces, either. How can we talk about regional harmony in this situation?" he said in a nationally-televised address to the nation last September.
"We should move quickly to find a solution, as a way to serve the needs of everyone and increase national competitiveness."
The government launched the committee late last year to cope with a deepening social division amid repeated threats from communist North Korea and partisan wrangling over a series of state-initiated development projects.