Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly, "Presidential candidates and political leaders of both parties should state their positions on constitutional amendment"

Speaker of the National Assembly Park Byeong-seok, marking his first anniversary in office, holds a press conference at the National Assembly on the 21st. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] On the 17th, marking the 73rd Constitution Day, National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok emphasized the necessity of constitutional amendment, stating, "I hope political leaders from both ruling and opposition parties, including presidential candidates, clearly express their positions on constitutional amendment and receive evaluation from the public."

In his congratulatory address on the day, Speaker Park said, "We cannot postpone the push for constitutional amendment just because there is a presidential election schedule next year. Rather, now, when it is difficult to predict the outcome of next year's presidential election, is the right time to carry out a fair and impartial constitutional amendment."

He pointed out, "So far, the political circles have agreed on the necessity of constitutional amendment but have not implemented it," adding, "In the early stages of administration, they opposed it, saying it would become a black hole and disperse national governance momentum, and in the latter half of the administration, they ignored it, saying it would not be possible with the presidential election ahead."

He continued, "If the National Assembly drafts a constitutional amendment within this year, it can be put to a national referendum during the presidential election or local elections in the first half of next year," urging, "Social rights, local decentralization, and climate change response should also be discussed together."

Speaker Park emphasized, "The public's desire for constitutional amendment is higher than ever. In a recent National Assembly poll, 66% of the public agreed with constitutional amendment," and stressed, "The National Assembly's special committee should discuss constitutional amendment along with economic revitalization."

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