hankyoreh

　By Seok Jin hwan and Kim Oi-hyun
　Lawyers are expected to be heavily represented in the 19th National Assembly, despite critics‘ charges that there are already too many.
　Meanwhile, the number of women applying to run for local constituency seats was found to be low at seven to eight percent, despite major strides in representation over the years.
　An analysis Saturday of applications for local constituency nominations in the Saenuri Party and Democratic Unity Party by the Hankyoreh found lawyers to account for the second largest percentage of applicants for both parties after professional party figures, at over 11%.
　For the Saenuri Party, lawyers represented 107, or 11.3%, of the 945 applicants, not including those who requested nominations privately. For the DUP, figures from the legal world accounted for 80, or 11.2%, of the 714 applicants.
　The number of lawyers elected to the National Assembly has risen steadily over the last three elections, from 41 in the 16th session, to 54 for the 17th and 59 for the 18th. Given the large number of figures from the legal world who run for strategic nominations and proportional representation seats, analysts said there is a good chance the trend of increase will continue with this year’s general elections.
　Media figures, who also account for a large percentage in the National Assembly, are also throwing their hats in the ring in their dozens. A total of 58 media figures applied for Saenuri Party nominations, accounting for 6.1% of the total, while 38 former and eight current media figures applied for DUP bids.
　Women represented 8.0% of the total applications for the Saenuri Party, or 76 of the total. For the DUP, only 49 women applied to run for local constituency seats, or just 6.9%.
The average age for applicants was 54.4 for the Saenuri Party and 52.6 for the DUP. The Saenuri Party had only two applicants in their twenties and 229, or 24.3%, in their thirties and forties. In contrast, the DUP has a relatively large percentage of applicants in their thirties and forties, representing 271 of the total, or 38.0%.
　Applicants submitted two types of career history when applying for nominations, and in many cases, a politician with an influence on the general election was a “keyword” alongside the prospective candidate‘s profession and area of specialization. A total of 77 Saenuri Party applicants, or 8.1% of the total, were found to have written the name “Park Geun-hye,” a total that rises to over 90 when terms such as “Park Geun-hye wing” and “Park Geun-hye supporters’ association” are counted as well.
　The same kind of “keyword” situation was found with the DUP. No fewer than 122 applicants, or 17.1%, mentioned former President Roh Moo-hyun, while another 29, or 4.1%, mentioned Kim Dae-jung. Twenty-six applicants, or 3.6% of the total, included the name of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.
　Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]