A parliamentary special committee on political reform held its first meeting last week only to fuel public doubt about whether the outcome of its work will meet the reasonable standards demanded by voters.

Some lawmakers on the bipartisan committee raised the need to increase the number of parliamentary seats, which is now set at 300, to about 360. This brazen proposal comes from a simple calculation to offset the impact that last year’s ruling by the Constitutional Court will have on their vested interests.

Under the ruling, the 246 electoral districts should be rezoned to narrow the population deviation between the most and least populous constituencies from the current 3-to-1 to 2-to-1. This readjustment is overdue, given that other advanced democracies have stricter limits on the deviation of populations among electoral districts to ensure each voter exercises more equal voting rights.

What has made lawmakers jittery is that more than 60 constituencies may have to be abolished or merged as a result of the rezoning work, which also needs to consider a proposal by the National Election Commission to increase the number of proportional representation seats.

The special bipartisan committee is tasked with setting the framework for changing laws on elections and political activities. Working out a fair and just electoral system that leaves no unconstitutionality will be the most sensitive part of their work.

Increasing the number of parliamentary seats would go against public calls for reducing the costs of the legislature and improving its efficiency. More than 500 million won ($457,000) in taxpayers’ money is spent every year to pay for each legislator to operate their office, excluding some 200 additional benefits.

The development of social networks is enabling fewer representatives to collect a wider range of public opinions in a more efficient manner. Constitutional experts also say the clause putting the number of lawmakers at more than 200 should be understood as imposing the limit of less than 300.

Some scholars suggest more legislators will be needed if the parliament is to function properly to reflect diversifying interests in society. But they emphasize its expansion should be accompanied by the improvement of its operation, such as holding sessions throughout the year, and the abolishment of unnecessary trappings for lawmakers.

What may be more important than the argument over the proper number of lawmakers is to try and restore public trust in the legislature and politics. The burgeoning attempt to increase the number of parliamentary seats will only hamper the effort.