Renewed Constitutional Amendment Debate... Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly, June Seminar "Presidential 5-Year Single Term Must Change"

1st Anniversary of the 21st National Assembly Opening: 'Constitutional Amendment Seminar' with External Organizations
"Constitutional Amendment Discussions Stuck in a Rut Despite Public Sympathy Must Now Be Resolved"

Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok attended and presided over the plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 19th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok is set to take active steps to bring constitutional amendment discussions to the forefront, including hosting a seminar in early June. Once the ruling and opposition party leaderships are newly formed next month, they plan to immediately put constitutional amendment talks on the agenda.

Although it is the final phase of President Moon Jae-in's term and the presidential election season is approaching, the 21st National Assembly believes it must address this era's challenges regardless of political gains or losses. In particular, they see changing the single five-year presidential term system as essential to escaping exhausting political disputes. However, since constitutional amendment discussions tend to absorb all issues like a black hole, it remains uncertain whether the political circles will accept this.

On the 23rd, Bok Gi-wang, Secretary to the National Assembly Speaker, told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "We are preparing to hold a constitutional amendment seminar on June 1, coinciding with the first anniversary of the 21st National Assembly's opening," adding, "The Speaker's office and external related research organizations plan to co-host the event."

He continued, "The basic idea is that we must now overcome the limitations of the 1987 system, and once the new leadership of the ruling and opposition parties is formed, Speaker Park will naturally bring up the topic of constitutional amendment."

Since last year, Speaker Park has repeatedly emphasized the need for constitutional amendment. In his commemorative speech on the 102nd anniversary of the Provisional Assembly's opening on the 9th, he stated, "Although the majority of the people agree on the necessity of constitutional amendment, the issue keeps going in circles endlessly. We must no longer delay and must now resolve it." Considering that the preliminary candidate registration for the March presidential election next year begins in July, it appears they aim to ignite constitutional amendment discussions by around Constitution Day.

Secretary Bok said, "In 2018, the Blue House drafted a constitutional amendment proposal, and the 20th National Assembly's Special Committee on Political Reform failed to reach consensus due to a few differing views, so the framework is already established," adding, "If the ruling and opposition parties argue over whether it helps in elections, constitutional amendment cannot happen, and we must remain in this system. Most lawmakers agree on the necessity of constitutional amendment, so Speaker Park's idea is to put our heads together for the future of the Republic of Korea."

He further stated, "There is no specific content in mind for the amendment, but the issue of the single five-year presidential term must be resolved," explaining, "Because the ruling and opposition parties should not just engage in disputes and repeat the failure of presidents elected by the people. We need to create a system for political development that encompasses re-election, multiple terms, or even a parliamentary system."

The 2018 Blue House constitutional amendment proposal included a four-year presidential term with one re-election, removal of the president's status as head of state, a responsible prime minister system, decentralization of the Supreme Court Chief Justice's appointment authority, proportional representation of voters in National Assembly seats, and economic democratization. Constitutional amendments regarding extension or change of the president's term do not apply to the incumbent President Moon. However, the proposal stalled in the National Assembly, and earlier last year, President Moon mentioned, "If constitutional amendment gains support, it could be pursued in the next National Assembly."

Contrary to Speaker Park's hopes, the ruling and opposition parties are expected to carefully consider the impact on elections. At a forum held by the National Integration Committee directly under the Speaker on the 21st, it was reported that People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won made remarks suggesting that constitutional amendment discussions are inappropriate amid the start of the presidential election season.

Since the 1987 constitutional amendment establishing direct presidential elections and a single five-year term, constitutional amendment debates have typically surfaced near the end of administrations. They have often been suspected of political motives, and former President Park Geun-hye raised constitutional amendment discussions during the impeachment crisis at the end of 2016. Currently, since neither ruling nor opposition parties have a clear presidential candidate, there is speculation that constitutional amendment discussions may gain momentum.

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