``To Adjust Constituency for Next Year`s Local Election``

In relation to the Constitutional Court`s rule that `a constituency, which is more than 3:1, is unconstitutional`, the Grand National Party (GNP) decided to push forward with adjusting the constituency of the local election, scheduled in Next June, during the general session of the National Assembly.

Kang Jae-Sup, vice president of the GNP and chairperson of the special committee on the reform of politics, reported at a party`s presidential meeting that ``since the Constitutional Court ruled the ``discord of the Constitution` to the current constituency, readjustment of the constituency of the local election, which has a big proportional representation ratio, is urgent according to the decision made by the Constitutional Court.``

In case of megalopolis and province where each 2 people can be elected for the National Assembly and autonomous government, the proportional representation ratio determining the number of lawmakers elected in a constituency is more than 3:1 in 11 cities and provinces with exception of Seoul, Daegu, Kwangju, Daejeon, and Ulsan.

For example, during the 1998 local election, differences between Nam-ku (177,655), Pohang, and Uleng-kun (7,896) exceeded 22.5:1 ratio based on the number of voters, in the Kyungbuk Province assembly. Differences between Gaeyang-ku (206,635) and Ongjin-kun (10,545) also exceeded 19.6:1 ratio in Incheon megalopolis.

However, Park Sang-Cheon, supreme council member of the Millennium Democratic Party, said, ``As the U.S. Senate is constituted of the representatives of each state regardless of the size of population, representatives of each autonomous government constitute the megalopolis assembly. Therefore, it is not right to count the proportional representation ratio at the same level of the National Assembly constituency.``

Kim Jeong-Hun jnghn@donga.com