Kim Min-seok, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 20th that President Lee Jae-myung has cleared the obstacles to amending the constitution, and urged the opposition People Power Party to join what he called a serious debate on the issue rather than quibble over words.
Speaking at a news conference at the National Assembly to launch the party's constitutional reform task force, Kim said the president has stated his intent to pursue an amendment on several occasions and has clearly addressed the obstacles raised by the opposition. "In fact, there was never any obstacle to begin with," he said. He added that it was strange for the opposition to keep demanding that the president renounce a second term when he has no intention of seeking one, calling it tantamount to demanding he admit he had something else in mind.
Kim laid out three directions for the amendment: writing the events from the May 18 Gwangju uprising through the Busan-Masan uprising into the constitution's preamble; pursuing reform of the power structure and improvements to the political system that the public can agree on; and enshrining a "basic society" that guarantees a dignified standard of living, along with social rights as constitutional fundamental rights. "The People Power Party calls itself the successor to President Kim Young-sam, who made May 18 part of the historical identity of his civilian government. What reason does it have to object?" Kim said. "The essence of this amendment must also be about livelihoods and national unity."
The task force argues that the People Power Party should take part in the discussion now that the president's lack of interest in a second term has been confirmed. Kim Tae-nyeon, who heads the task force, said the president made clear to the entire nation through his news conference that he has no intention whatsoever of using an amendment to serve another term. "We judge that the obstacle created by this suspicion has been removed," he said.
The task force also put a timeline on the process. Kim Tae-nyeon said the referendum should be held as far apart from the general election as possible to keep political parties from calculating electoral advantage, adding that a separately agreed amendment should be put to a national referendum within the first half of next year at the latest.
The Democratic Party plans to prepare its own draft amendment and build public consensus by the end of this year, then produce a bipartisan agreement by March or April of next year. Rep. Jung Tae-ho said the party would organize existing parliamentary discussions along with proposals from academics and experts while holding talks with political parties and civic groups.
The party also called for a special constitutional reform committee in the National Assembly. Rep. Baek Hye-ryun said the question of a second presidential term, which the People Power Party had cited as grounds for opposition, has now been resolved. "We urge the immediate formation of a special committee on constitutional reform at the National Assembly level," she said. Rep. Park Ju-min said the party is ready to engage in discussions at any time regardless of party lines, asking the People Power Party and other opposition parties to take part.
The Democratic Party intends to discuss not only restructuring of government power but also an expansion of fundamental rights and decentralization. Kim Tae-nyeon said the party would write into the constitution the state's responsibility to respond to falling birth rates, population aging, concentration in the greater Seoul area and the climate crisis, and would push for checks and balances among the legislative, executive and judicial branches as well as substantive decentralization.
The task force plans to flesh out the draft amendment while holding parallel talks with the People Power Party and other opposition parties. "We will approach these talks very seriously and with full sincerity to see the amendment through," Kim Tae-nyeon said.
