Blue House Expresses Regret Over Failed Constitutional Amendment, Stresses Public Promise Must Not Be Broken

"The public will find it hard to understand the opposition even to the minimal constitutional amendment"


Woo Won-shik: "Procedures for the June 3 constitutional referendum suspended... Strong regret toward the People Power Party"

The Blue House expressed "regret" on the 8th regarding the failure to process the constitutional amendment bill at the National Assembly's plenary session due to opposition from lawmakers belonging to the People Power Party.

On the 29th, as President Lee Jae-myung commuted to the Blue House, officially marking the start of the Blue House era again after 3 years and 7 months, the Phoenix flag was raised at the Blue House in Seoul. 2025.12.29 Photo by Cho Yongjun

Kang Yoojung, Chief Spokesperson of the Blue House, said in a written briefing that, "The public will find it difficult to understand the reason for opposing even the most minimal constitutional amendment necessary to safeguard national security and democracy."

Chief Spokesperson Kang explained, "The amendment includes provisions to enshrine the spirit of the Buma Democratic Uprising and the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble of the Constitution, to specify the state's responsibility for balanced regional development, and to strengthen the National Assembly's authority to control the declaration of martial law. Reflecting the lessons from the illegal martial law incident of December 3, there was a broad public demand to incorporate these into the Constitution, and there were no major disagreements between the ruling and opposition parties."

Chief Spokesperson Kang stated, "The discussions on constitutional amendment that were promised to the public must never be halted. We urge the National Assembly to continue the discussions with greater responsibility in the latter half of the session and to keep its promise to the people." She further added, "Constitutional amendment is not merely about revising an institution. It should serve as a new starting point to overcome extreme conflict and political strife, to restore cooperative politics, national unity, and social harmony."

Additionally, Chief Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "The Blue House will steadfastly continue to pursue constitutional amendment discussions, which are a pressing issue of our time, together with the public."

Previously, the National Assembly had submitted the constitutional amendment bill to the plenary session the previous day, but declared the vote invalid due to a lack of quorum. Approval of the amendment required two-thirds of all members in office, or at least 191 votes in favor, but only 178 lawmakers participated in the vote. The People Power Party did not take part in the vote on the amendment.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik convened another plenary session that day, but when the People Power Party requested unlimited debate, he announced that he would not submit the constitutional amendment bill for consideration. Speaker Woo said, "The People Power Party invalidated the vote on the constitutional amendment yesterday by not participating, and today they are requesting unlimited debate. Therefore, as Speaker, I will not submit the constitutional amendment bill and will halt today's proceedings."

Speaker Woo further stated, "The procedures for holding the constitutional referendum scheduled for June 3 have been suspended as of today. This constitutional amendment bill, the first in 39 years, is one that would make martial law unimaginable." He added, "I must express strong regret toward the People Power Party."

This constitutional amendment bill was jointly sponsored by the Democratic Party of Korea, the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, the Progressive Party, the Reform New Party, the Basic Income Party, the Social Democratic Party—six parties with seats in the National Assembly—as well as independent lawmakers. Its main points include: recording the spirit of the Buma Democratic Uprising and the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble of the Constitution, introducing a requirement for National Assembly approval for a presidential declaration of martial law, strengthening the National Assembly's authority to request the lifting of martial law, and specifying the obligation for balanced national development.

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