[First-term Survey] 83% Say "Constitutional Amendment Needed During Term"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] It has been revealed that 8 out of 10 first-term members of the National Assembly believe that constitutional revision is necessary during the 21st National Assembly term. Although the leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, which has become the ruling party, has effectively imposed a gag order on discussions about constitutional revision, most first-term members, who hold the majority of seats in the National Assembly, are in favor of constitutional revision. However, opinions were split evenly when asked about the likelihood of actual implementation.

According to a survey of first-term lawmakers conducted by Asia Economy on the 16th, 43.5% responded that constitutional revision is "necessary and will be pursued" when asked about the necessity and feasibility of constitutional revision during this term. Another 39.1% said it is "necessary but difficult to pursue." This means that 82.6% see constitutional revision as necessary.

Among first-term members of the Democratic Party of Korea alone, 66.7% said it is "necessary and will be pursued." There were no responses indicating it was unnecessary.

Responses stating "unnecessary and difficult to pursue" accounted for 10.9% of all first-term respondents, all of whom were members of the United Future Party. The answer "unnecessary but will be pursued" was 6.5%, also from United Future Party members.

Regarding the timing of pursuing constitutional revision if necessary, 46.7% said "after the presidential election," and 43.5% said "between this year and before the presidential election," showing similar proportions.

They were also asked about the direction of power structure reform, which is the core of constitutional revision. "Four-year presidential term with one re-election" was the highest at 57.6%. Among Democratic Party members alone, this reached an overwhelming 88.0%.

Opinions favoring a "decentralized presidential system" were also recorded at 32.6%. The "parliamentary cabinet system" was a minority opinion at 6.5%. Among United Future Party members, 51.1% chose "decentralized presidential system," and 33.3% chose "four-year presidential term with one re-election."

Regarding the desirable direction for future electoral system reform, "abolition of the mixed-member proportional representation system and return to single-member districts and parallel proportional representation" was the highest at 31.5%. This reflects a desire to return to the system before the 21st general election, as 62.2% of United Future Party members responded in bulk.

"100% mixed-member proportional representation and prohibition of satellite proportional parties" accounted for 20.6%, "abolition of mixed-member proportional representation and introduction of medium-sized electoral districts with parallel proportional representation" was 17.4%, and "50% mixed-member proportional representation and prohibition of satellite proportional parties" recorded 16.3%.

Opinions on the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (HOCI) were sharply divided by party. The Democratic Party mostly expected it to be the key to resolving the so-called "political prosecution," but not a single United Future Party member agreed. About half of the United Future Party members responded that it is "another power institution that watches the regime's interests." However, the other half did not select either of these two responses and only checked "other opinions."

Regarding the issue of reinvestigation of former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's case, 57.1% of Democratic Party respondents said, "There is considerable evidence of unfair prosecution by the prosecution, so reinvestigation is necessary," and 23.8% said, "It should be handled by the HOCI." In contrast, except for one member, all United Future Party lawmakers answered, "Since the Supreme Court has already ruled, reinvestigation is not possible unless a retrial application is made."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.