Committee decides on next year’s redistricting

An independent committee tasked with determining the number of districts to be contested in next year’s general election decided Saturday that between 244 and 249 districts will be up for grabs.

With the decision reached by the committee, which runs independently under the National Election Commission, it is expected that the number of lawmakers elected by ballots will be kept the same, at 246, or be increased by three at maximum. The rest of the 300 parliamentary seats for the 20th National Assembly will be elected through a proportional system.

The final decision by the committee on the number will be made and submitted to parliament for approval by Oct. 13. The decision is the outcome of the ruling by the Constitutional Court last year that the current electoral constituency map was unconstitutional, arguing that it resulted in unequal representation due to population changes. The court added that the ratio of the most populous electoral district to the least populous must be lower than two-to-one, and that redistricting must be completed by the end of this year. The ratio is now three-to-one.

The decision means that the number of seats allocated to Gyeongsang and Jeolla will be reduced, while representation in the capital region is expected to increase.

BY KANG JIN-KYU [kang.jinkyu@joongang.co.kr]