Gwangju City Council Scolds Special Committee on Political Reform for Failing Its Role
Ahead of the upcoming local elections, the Gwangju City Council has pointed out that the relevant special committee within the National Assembly failed to fulfill its role regarding the insufficient implementation of political reform. The political reform pledge, which the Democratic Party of Korea and four progressive opposition parties aimed to pass by April 10, has fallen through. The city council judged the National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform's failure to finalize key regulations such as electoral district demarcation and adjustment of the number of seats, even with two months left until the local elections, as dereliction of duty.
Regarding this situation, the city council held both the ruling and opposition parties accountable, criticizing the People Power Party for 'boycott politics' and the Democratic Party of Korea for applying 'selective principles' that emphasized agreement only on political reform proposals. It pointed out that the delay in finalizing the institutional framework is a problem that shakes the foundation of representative democracy.
The political reform proposals include the introduction of a large electoral district system for metropolitan councils and the expansion of proportional representation, along with contents related to restructuring local councils. Ahead of the launch of the unified Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, issues regarding the composition method of the unified council and the number of seats became contentious, but discussions were delayed.
The city council expressed concern that the lack of finalized systems like electoral district demarcation, with about two months left until the local elections, could cause confusion for both candidates and voters. Consequently, the city council urged the National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform to swiftly process the reform proposals and called for responsible decision-making from the political circles. It also demanded the presentation of standards for the number of seats for the unified Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City Council, urging politicians to respond with responsible decisions and actions rather than continued delay and silence.