16대 총선과 여성의 정치참여

This article has two purposes: First, it aims to analyze Korea's 16th general election of April 2000 with a view to finding out the place of women in the Korea politics; second, it suggests some future agenda which hold the key of promoting women's participation in politics. Analyzed from a feminist viewpoint, the election results produced the following areas of positive development: 1) More women were elected: 2) a quota system for women has been adopted; 3) women's organizations played more active roles to increase women's political participation; 4) voters exhibited more positive attitudes towards it: and 5) parties have become more conscious of women issues and incorporated them into important parts of their election strategies, which led to significant success of women candidates with party nomination. Out of the this analysis, this article suggests some future tasks which should be dealt with in order to increase women's political participation in Korea. First, in the National Assembly, women legislators still occupies only 5.9% of the seats. At the local level, the number falls further down to 2.2%. This proportion should be raised at least to 30% or so. Secondly, the current proportional representation system should be improved in such a way to institutionalize a more stable representation of women in the Assembly. And a similar system needs be adopted in local elections as well. Thirdly, women organizations need to take initiatives in electoral system reform. Fourthly, it may take a longer time than expected before voters, who has shown formative signs of positive attitudes towards increased political participation by women, change their perception in a more fundamental way. Lastly, political parties should be given more pressure and the party system needs be reformed so that the parties support women's causes and pay more attention to them.