[KS] Bob Fouser on Korean Election System

[Frank M. Tedesco]

>      07-15-98 : Cultural Dimensions (Column By Robert J.
>      Fouser); Why French-Style Election Is Better for Korea
> 
>      Over the last month, the ruling National Congress for New
>      Politics (NCNP) party has floated two ideas for electoral and
>      government reform: the adoption of a German-style electoral
>      system for the National Assembly and streamlining the current
>      three-level system of government. Amid the economic crisis,
>      neither idea has attracted much public attention, but they have
>      started the discussion on the merits of the current electoral
>      system and government structure.
> 
>      The ruling party argues that a German-style electoral system in
>      Korea will help reduce regionalism by giving voters more choice.
>      Under the German system, voters cast two separate ballots, one
>      for a candidate and one for a party. National constituency seats
>      are then divided between parties based the percentage of votes
>      earned from the party ballots. This allows voters to
>      differentiate between individual candidates and the parties that
>      support them.
> 
>      Separately from this, the government has proposed cutting one
>      level of government from the current three-level system. The
>      rationale for this move is to reduce the cost of government and
>      to make it more efficient. Of the three levels of government, the
>      obvious candidate for elimination is the smallest government
>      district composed of dong in cities and myon and up in the
>      county.
> 
>      The goals of both proposals are fine, but the method for
>      achieving them is vague. There is no guarantee that a
>      German-style electoral system will have a much impact on
>      regionalism. Streamlining the government separately from
>      electoral reform is shortsighted. Neither proposal deals with the
>      main cause of regionalism: personalized political parties and
>      lack of majority rule. Until these issues are solved, regionalism
>      will continue to be deciding factor in Korean elections.
> 
>      The German-style election system works in Germany for a number of
>      reasons. Germany has a federal system in which each province, or
>      Bundesland, exercises considerable local autonomy. Politics,
>      finance, the media are spread among a number of large cities.
>      Regions in Germany have strong local characteristics, but there
>      is relatively little regional rivalry or antagonism. The two main
>      political parties, the Christian Democrats and the Social
>      Democrats, present different political philosophies that compete
>      for public support in each election. The Christian Democrats are
>      slightly right of center, whereas as the Social Democrats are
>      slightly left of center, thus giving voters a relatively clear
>      choice.
> 
>      None of these conditions exist in Korea. Since the presidential
>      election of 1987, Korean parties have changed names many times,
>      but four groups, each loyal to a powerful leader, have competed
>      and formed alliances. Each group depends on a regional stronghold
>      instead of, as is common in many other countries, a coalition of
>      voters with common political interests.
> 
>      The result is odd coalitions, such as the present one between
>      President Kim and Kim Jong-pil, that are formed to win elections
>      rather than to implement a set of coherent policies. Because
>      candidates appeal to regional identity, all voters really know
>      about them is their hometown and personal background.
> 
>      Instead of looking toward Germany, the ruling party should, as I
>      have argued previously, look to France for inspiration. The
>      French system of run-off elections is ideal for Korea because it
>      forces voters to make a choice between the top-two vote
>      candidates if no candidate gets over 50 percent in the first
>      round of voting. This system forces voters to make a clear choice
>      between two candidates. The winner has the support, however
>      varied, of a majority of the voters, which gives him or her a
>      clear mandate to govern. This system has worked well in France, a
>      nation with many small political parties and a history of popular
>      democratic upheavals.
> 
>      Adopting a French-style run-off election for all elections in
>      Korea will help weaken regionalism because no region in Korea has
>      more than 50 percent of the voters nationally. The most populous
>      region is the Kyongsang region, which claims about 30 percent of
>      the Korean population, but it has split its vote a number of
>      times since 1987. Run-off elections would require the two leading
>      candidates to go beyond regionalism and to appeal to voters of
>      the losing candidates in the first round, particularly in urban
>      areas where voters come from different regions.
> 
>      Korea should also look to those nations, such as the United
>      States, with an upper house for inspiration. Creating an upper
>      house based with a set number of representatives would also
>      weaken regionalism because no region has a majority of the
>      administrative divisions in Korea. In the United States, the
>      Senate was designed to protect the interest of small states..
> 
>      To make this work, the regional cities of Pusan, Taegu, Inchon,
>      Kwangju, Teajon, and Ulsan would have to rejoin the provinces
>      that surround them. With two administrative districts in each
>      region (except for Kangwon and Cheju), parties would have to
>      compete nationally to take control of the upper house.
> 
>      Creating an upper house would clear the way to eliminate the
>      party-based national constituencies in the National Assembly.
>      Single constituencies are more responsive to local concerns and
>      more democratic because voters, not politicians, decide who gets
>      to represent them.
> 
>      Regionalism in Korea is here to stay, but giving voters a clear
>      choice between two candidates, creating an upper house, and
>      increasing local autonomy will force candidates and voters to go
>      beyond regional appeal to create winning alliances. These changes
>      will make politicians more accountable to their constituencies,
>      instead of to powerful party leaders. The debate should continue,
>      but with great care.
> 
>      [Image]
> 
>            Copyright 1998 Korea Herald. All rights reserved.
>                      Designed by ISM Corporation
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/kh0715/m0715e02.html

-- 


Frank Tedesco, Ph.D.
Occasional lecturer, University of Maryland
Assistant Professor
Sejong University
98 Kunjadong, Kwangjin-gu
Seoul 143-747 KOREA
Tel/fax: 82-2-997-3954
E-mail: tedesco at uriel.net

"Life is a terminal disease, and it's sexually transmitted."
John Cleese, the Buddhist.


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