국회의원 선거구 획정, 무엇이 문제이고 어떻게 개선해야 하는가?: 22대 국회의원선거구획정위원회 활동 사례를 중심으로 = Delimitation of the Korean National Assembly Electoral Constituencies: Identifying the Problems and Exploring Paths to Reform

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aims to investigate the causes of delay in the delimitation of the Korean National Assembly electoral constituencies. In addition, this research proposes multifaceted measures for improvement. The analysis reveals that, given the current constitutional framework, the National Assembly Act, and the Public Official Election Act, the National Assembly Election Boundary Delimitation Commission(NAEBDC) faces inherent limitations that hinder its proactive execution of duties. Consequently, if the Korean National Assembly, as the representative institution of the people, does not timely establish clear criteria for electoral district delineation, recurrent delays in the delimitation process are inevitable.
To prevent delays in constituency delimitation, it is imperative to amend the relevant provisions of the Public Official Election Act. Specifically, revisions are required concerning the allocation of the National Assembly seats, including constituency representatives as well as proportional representatives. Furthermore, the establishment of the NAEBDC should be expedited, and institutional measures should be explored to extend its effective operational period. It is also necessary to introduce provisions that address the representational imbalance caused by population decline in certain regions and the potential formation of excessively large constituencies. Such legislative amendments would enable the NAEBDC to undertake a more proactive and timely delineation of electoral constituencies.