Advisory body for Constitutional revision to be launched: Assembly speaker

Constitutional revision aims to change term limit for 5-year, single presidency

National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)

National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik reiterated Wednesday the need for a bill to revise the Constitution, with the aim of changing the term limit for the president, stressing that an advisory body will be launched soon.

Woo’s remarks, made at a press conference at the Assembly in western Seoul, are in line with the opposition’s goal to hold a national referendum in 2026. The ruling party has denounced the referendum as a move to shorten President Yoon Suk Yeol’s single, five-year term and a political ploy to impeach the current president.

“We must carry out the constitutional amendment,” Woo told reporters.

“Though it is difficult to establish a special committee for a constitutional amendment, we are currently preparing to form and launch an advisory committee for the amendment. Through the (advisory committee) we plan to review and organize various versions of amendments and discuss what version would be appropriate for today’s society,” he added.

The current 1987 Constitution limits the president to a single five-year term, which critics say hinders long-term, consistent policies and has often led to a premature degeneration into lame-duck status.

The amendment aims to adopt the US system of two consecutive four-year terms.

Though there have been attempts to revise the current Constitution, they have repeatedly failed due to what critics call a “King-like” presidency here and a divide within parliament.

On the ruling party’s criticism that the amendment merely aims to shorten Yoon’s presidential term, Woo denied the claims, saying that the time is ripe for a change.

“The meaning of politics is to pave a new road, but we have yet to achieve a Constitutional amendment in the past 38 years since 1987. This means that the Assembly and the political sphere have failed to do their jobs as the world changed,” he explained.

Woo said he is also open to floating and passing a bill that would bring about partial amendments.

“When the topic of the amendment comes up, the ruling party continues to express refusal, claiming that it aims to shorten (President Yoon’s term). But I’m open to a single, or even partial changes, or an overhaul.”

Regarding the delay in the opening ceremony for the 22nd National Assembly, which kicked off its term in late May, Woo requested Yoon attend the ceremony as it is customary for the country’s president to make a speech at the event.

“We would be grateful if the president could attend the ceremony once the Assembly sets (the final date for the event). The president is (the leader) of all citizens here, which is why he must make a unifying message (at the Assembly),” Woo said.

The main opposition is seeking to hold the ceremony -- initially scheduled for July 5 -- on Sept. 2, but Yoon will likely skip the event. The ruling party has yet to retract their previous statement made last month, conveying a willingness to boycott the event after the opposition-led Assembly passed the bill that mandates a special counsel probe into allegations that the Yoon administration exerted external pressure on an internal military probe into the death of young Marine Cpl. Chae Su-geun in July 2023. Yoon vetoed the bill on July 9.

The president or parliament can propose a constitutional amendment, which must be approved by a two-thirds majority in the Assembly and then by a majority in a national referendum in which more than half of eligible voters participate.

By Jung Min-kyung(mkjung@heraldcorp.com)