President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday unveiled a package of reform measures aimed at speeding up the much-touted political cleanup operation ahead of the general elections in April next year.

In a letter delivered to National Assembly speaker Park Kwan-yong, Roh called on lawmakers to adopt a "multiple-seat system," with five or more lawmakers per constituency.

The letter was also sent to leaders of all political parties and the chairmen of the related parliamentary committees and all other lawmakers.

To keep the current "single" electoral system, in which one lawmaker is elected from each district, Roh supported the introduction of the proportional representation system, in which seats are allocated to parties according to the number of votes each party receives.

Roh's reform initiatives also included increasing the number of lawmakers if and when the proportional representation system is adopted and maintaining political parties' regional offices.

The move came after Roh said Tuesday that he would undergo questioning if the prosecution requested it after uncovering his election camp's use of improper funds during the presidential election last December.

In a televised news conference, he urged all political parties to cooperate with the prosecution's investigation into their illegal fund raising in a bid to achieve clean and transparent politics.

Roh said he believed the "current hardships" would help forge a path toward a new era of political reform, asserting that, despite allegations of illegal fund raising, "the presidential election expenses declined by one-tenth compared with previous presidential election campaigns."

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By Sim Sung-tae