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Assembly speaker backtracks on constitutional amendment referendum proposal

Published: 09 Apr. 2025, 17:15

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik speaks during a press conference to suggest constitutional reform at the parliament in western Seoul on April 6. [NEWS1]

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik on Wednesday withdrew his earlier proposal to hold a national referendum on constitutional amendments concurrently with the June 3 presidential election.

Woo proposed on Sunday that the country should hold a national referendum on revising the Constitution on the same day as the early presidential election, emphasizing the need to further strengthen the pillars of the separation of powers to ensure popular sovereignty and national unity.

But his proposal has been met with strong opposition from the liberal Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the parliament.

In a withdrawal of his proposal, Woo said on his Facebook post that simultaneous voting for the presidential election and constitutional amendments has become virtually impossible under the current situation.

"Let's open the full-scale discussion [on constitutional revision] on the basis of national consensus and the agreement of all political parties after the presidential election," Woo said.

Yonhap