Rival parties agree on electoral map for April’s parliamentary elections

Rival parties on Thursday agreed on an electoral district map for the upcoming parliamentary elections in April, after months of political wrangling over the number of local councilors in certain key districts. Floor leaders of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party reached a last-minute deal on redrawing electoral districts for the 300-member National Assembly, just 41 days before the voting on April 10. The revision will be passed through a plenary session later in the day. According to the agreement, the number of seats chosen by direct votes in North Jeolla Province will be maintained at 10, while the total number of seats picked through a proportional representation system will be decreased by one to 46 instead. As a result, the number of parliamentary seats in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province will be 48 and 60 respectively, followed by the southeastern city of Busan at 18. The months-long delay in the passage of the redistricting plan has caused confusion among prospective candidates who will soon be making preliminary registrations with the state election watchdog to initiate campaign activities. During the previous general election in 2020, approval of the electoral map was reached 39 days before the voting. Source: Yonhap News Agency