Home > National > Politics

Assembly Speaker Woo calls for national referendum on amending Constitution

Published: 06 Apr. 2025, 16:56

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik holds a press conference on April 6 urging to reform the Constitutional Law. [NEWS1]

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik on Sunday proposed holding a national referendum on amending the Constitution alongside the upcoming presidential election.

“Let’s proceed with what we can agree on within the given time frame, but at the very least, let’s use this opportunity to push through the most difficult part — restructuring the power system," Woo said at a press conference on constitutional reform held at the National Assembly Sunday afternoon.

“After going through an unconstitutional and unlawful emergency martial law plan and the impeachment crisis, public consensus on the urgency of constitutional reform is stronger than ever,” he added. “This is a historic opportunity to turn the pain and turmoil experienced by the nation over the past four months into a moment of transformation for Korea.”

“While the emergency martial law itself was not the fault of constitutional law, we need a fundamental solution to ensure such incidents never happen again," he continued. "This is the time to reinforce constitutional law and build structural safeguards.”

“The core of this reform is to ensure that the constitutional principles of checks and balances, which uphold democracy, function properly. We must break away from a winner-takes-all system and decentralize power to restore popular sovereignty and institutionalize effective cooperation to achieve national unity.”

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik holds a press conference on April 6 urging to reform the Constitutional Law. [NEWS1]

Woo noted that it is "urgent to reflect the changes in society and the demands of the people" because "it has been 38 years since the 1987 constitutional amendment, and despite tremendous societal changes, we have failed to update the Constitution in time, resulting in a disconnect — even pathological dysfunction — between constitutional reality and lived reality.”

“Since the beginning of the Sixth Republic, most major presidential candidates have promised constitutional reform in each of the last six presidential elections, but only once has the process moved forward,” Woo said. “This is because each political group calculates their interests differently, leading to conflicts of interest.”

He added, “Even in the National Assembly, official discussions on constitutional reform have been repeated since the 18th session in 2008, but none have succeeded. The biggest obstacle has always been restructuring the power system,” and “depending on party positions and the political landscape, the calculations change.”

“At the beginning of a presidential term, there’s hesitation over fears that constitutional reform will become a political black hole, and by the end of the term, the lame-duck effect kills the momentum,” he said. “To break this vicious cycle, we must open the floodgates before the new president’s term begins.”

Woo emphasized, "Now is the best time to push through reform, as public demand to distribute power, ensure popular sovereignty and achieve national unity is clearer than ever.”

The Constitutional Court upholds the National Assembly's decision to impeach former president Yoon Suk Yeol on April 4. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

“Any remaining issues can be addressed through a second round of amendments during next year’s local elections,” he added. “The public desires to change the root causes of extreme political conflict — the imperial presidency and winner-takes-all system.”

Woo said there’s already been "extensive discussion on constitutional proposals" and "all that remains is to decide which plan to adopt.”

“What’s left is to initiate the constitutional amendment process,” he said.

He proposed that each political party in the National Assembly begin by amending the National Referendum Act and forming a special committee on constitutional reform.

Regarding the Referendum Act, Woo pointed out the need to amend the clause on overseas Koreans’ voting rights, which has been ruled unconstitutional.

“By making this amendment, we can provide the legal basis to hold a national referendum on constitutional reform together with the presidential election," Woo said.

Previously, the Constitutional Court had ruled that the current provision in the Referendum Act, which restricts the voting rights of overseas citizens, is unconstitutional.

“We must immediately form a constitutional reform committee in the National Assembly,” Woo said. “Given the time required for reform, swift action is critical.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]