Increase in number of parliamentary seats draws fire from voters


The number of seats in the National Assembly is to increase to 300 from the current 299, according to a bill passed through the legislature Monday.

The hike, the first since 2000, was met with public criticism as it defied the widespread public demand for a cut in the number of representatives.

The Assembly approved the new electoral district plan, which calls for increasing the number of constituencies from the current 245 to 246. The number of proportional representatives will remain unchanged at 54 and the total quota will rise to 300, the highest on record.

Three constituencies are to be created in Paju, Gangwon and a new city of Sejong. Two will be eliminated -- one in the ruling Saenuri Party’s stronghold of South Gyeongsang Province and another in the main opposition Democratic United Party’s heartland of South Jeolla.

Rep. Park Ki-choon, head of the DUP’s members of a parliamentary committee on political reforms, said the rival parties had tried to avoid the increase in parliamentary seats, but failed.

“We can’t let this drag on. We need to start preparations for the forthcoming election,” he said before the vote.

The parties didn’t at first float the idea of 300 lawmakers.

It was none other than the National Election Commission, under time pressure for the April 11 general election preparation, which proposed to rival parties that the parliamentary seats be increased to 300 members only for the next four-year term.

Online bulletin boards and social networking services were inundated with messages criticizing the increase in the number of lawmakers.

“Now we have another tax thief,” tweeted a person with username “dogndonggu.”

Korea’s parliament has often been criticized as a high-cost, low-efficiency organization. Some even say it is a source of disgrace to the country, as violent brawls between rivaling legislators on the parliamentary floor in the past, involving chainsaws and even a tear-gas bomb, drew international media attention.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)