[Advancement Act 2.0]⑤Restoring Cooperation... Time to Discuss Electoral Reform

Experts say that in order to revive the spirit of a "culture of cooperation"—the core of the National Assembly Advancement Act—systemic reforms are required to correct longstanding political practices by both the ruling and opposition parties. However, as the fundamental issue lies in political polarization, there is growing demand for follow-up reform of the electoral system.

Need for Reform of the Advancement Act System

On the 26th, the National Assembly's Legislative Affairs Department entrance was left severely damaged. Around 2:30 a.m. that day, National Assembly Security staff attempted to enter the Legislative Affairs Department using crowbars and hammers but confronted aides from the Liberty Korea Party, during which the door was damaged. Photo by Yoon Dongju doso7@

There are arguments that, to normalize the National Assembly Advancement Act, improvements must be made to curb both the ruling party’s attempts to push legislation through unilaterally and the opposition’s obstructionist tactics. Representative proposals include restructuring the Agenda Coordination Committee and revising the system for unlimited debates (filibusters).

Some suggest that to prevent the majority party from bypassing the agenda committee’s supermajority rule (two-thirds vote) by using satellite parties or non-negotiating blocs, agenda committee members should be apportioned equally between the first and second largest negotiation blocs. At the same time, to prevent minor parties from unnecessarily delaying proceedings, shortening the operation period for the committee—which is currently 90 days—has also been discussed.

There are also proposals to expand the types of exceptions to the filibuster rule to mitigate its negative effects. In its February report, the National Assembly Research Service cited, as examples, bills that require urgent national-level legislation and legislation falling under the constitutionally respected authority of the executive branch. Ha Sang-eung, professor at Sogang University, commented, "It is still necessary for minority party lawmakers to demonstrate their determination by maintaining their positions during a filibuster, even if only temporarily."

The Grand Premise of the Advancement Act Has Collapsed... Time to Discuss Reform of Candidate Nominations and the Electoral System

Park Myung-ho, professor at Dongguk University, observed, "When the legislation was enacted, neither party even considered the possibility of controlling more than 180 seats; at best, they anticipated just over half the seats, expecting that cross-voting and coalition politics would be inevitable. However, after the 21st and 22nd general elections, this premise has collapsed and, as a result, the law has also become ineffective."

This has prompted calls for reform of political party candidate nominations and the electoral system. It is now necessary to reexamine the single-member constituency format. Doubts have been raised over whether it is reasonable for everything to swing entirely based on a single vote difference—where a margin of just one vote determines whether a party "has everything" or "nothing at all."

Hwang Woo-yeo, former leader of the Saenuri Party, stated in an interview with The Asia Business Daily, "What Kim Jin-pyo, former National Assembly Speaker, and I agreed on was that it is not the mark of a normal parliament when a single party holds 180 seats and controls the entire legislative process."

A first-term lawmaker from the ruling party commented, "Kim Min-seok is also committed, and this is a time when there’s a lot of interest in reforms such as the mixed-member proportional representation system." Similarly, an opposition lawmaker emphasized the need for reform, stating, "The ruling party continues to break through the two-thirds barrier set by the National Assembly Advancement Act through its satellite parties."

However, skepticism remains about the possibilities for institutional reform. Professor Park explained, "Including the Seoul metropolitan area, where the ruling party benefits from the single-member district system, and the Yeongnam region, which benefits the opposition, more than half the seats are affected—so it will not be easy to bring about a fundamental change." He added, "Unless reform is expedited, as is often the case, the system is likely to be patched up at the last minute, either by maintaining the current rules or making only minor adjustments."

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