South Korea protesters outside National Assembly push for electoral reform ahead of local elections

A coalition of four progressive parties in South Korea has begun an indefinite tent protest outside the National Assembly, pressing for political reform ahead of a planned meeting on March 19. The four parties—Cho Kuk Innovation Party, the Justice or Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democracy Party—say the current political system favors the two ruling parties and has blocked substantive reform.

At the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Political Reform on March 13, none of the reform bills were scheduled for consideration, prompting anger from the protestors. One member of the smaller party delegation told reporters that a committee presiding over reform without any reform items has no purpose, and accused mainstream parties of collusion against change.

The protests intensified a day earlier, when about 18 lawmakers from the four parties stood at the main entrance of the plenary hall to demand action from the Democratic Party, which leads the government, on political reform. They criticized what they described as a lack of progress and alignment on reform priorities.

Central Election Commission data cited by the protesters show that in the most recent local elections, 489 posts in Seoul were filled without a vote, including 121 local and metropolitan lawmakers and six top local posts, all won by the two major parties. The figure represents roughly 12.5% of such positions and is presented as evidence of limited voter choice and the need for electoral reform.

The four parties are calling for sweeping changes to the electoral system, including multi-member districts of three to five seats, the introduction of runoff elections for local races, and a substantial expansion of proportional representation in metropolitan and local assemblies—from around 10% to as much as 30%. They also urge gender-balanced nominations with no single gender exceeding 60%.

With the June 3 local elections looming, reform efforts have advanced slowly. The committee was late in assembling and has struggled to bring a cohesive reform agenda to the floor, increasing the risk that important changes will not be enacted in time for the vote.

For U.S. readers, the stakes extend beyond Seoul. South Korea is a key ally and a major technology and semiconductor producer whose political and regulatory climate shapes supply chains and investment in the region. How Seoul handles political reform could influence policy continuity, governance stability, and the pace of regulatory decisions affecting multinational firms operating in Korea, as well as the broader security and economic framework of the U.S.–Korea alliance.