Lawmaker pushing legislation on compulsory voting

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- A liberal opposition lawmaker plans to submit a bill
aimed at making voting a legal obligation and imposing fines on non-voters, his
aides said Sunday.
The bill, drafted by Kim Hee-chull, a first-time lawmaker with the major
opposition Democratic Party, would make voting mandatory and impose a fine of
10,000 won (US$7.26) on those who fail to vote, his aides said.
A similar bill was submitted by the National Election Commission in 1999, but was
indefinitely put on hold by the National Assembly.
Analysts say the bill is likely to cause controversy as critics argue that
whether or not people cast a ballot is entirly their decision.
The bill comes as South Korea witnessed its lowest voter turnout in two decades
during the presidential election of 2007, when just 62.9 percent of eligible
voters cast ballots. The figure was down 7.9 percentage points from 2002 and 17.8
percentage points from 1997.
Voter turnout has also been steadily declining in parliamentary elections in
recent years, coming in at just 46 percent in April 2008, down 14.6 percentage
points from 2004 and 11.2 percent from the 2000 elections.
Lower voter turnout is generally considered to benefit conservative parties,
while liberal parties are widely believed to benefit from higher turnout as
younger, more progressive voters cast ballots.
The incumbent president, Lee Myung-bak of the conservative Grand National Party,
won the 2007 presidential election by a landslide, ending a ten-year rule by
liberal administrations.
The conservative ruling party also secured a simple majority of 153 seats in the
299-member National Assembly in last year's parliamentary election.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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