<與특위> "If Yoon's Impeachment is Accepted, Consensus on Constitutional Amendment for '4-Year Presidential Two-Term System'"

Concerns Over Expanded Presidential Powers:
"Focus Will Be on Power Distribution"
Jo Eunhee: "If Impeachment Is Dismissed, Various Issues Will Be Discussed Comprehensively"

The People Power Party's Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment announced on the 13th that it has reached a consensus on implementing a one-point constitutional amendment to establish a 'four-year presidential term with re-election' if the Constitutional Court upholds the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Jo Eun-hee, the spokesperson for the People Power Party's Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment, said in a press briefing after the second meeting at the National Assembly, "If the impeachment is upheld, the most urgent issue is the restructuring of the power system."

During the committee meeting, Jo mentioned that the concentration of power in the five-year single-term presidency was identified as the most serious problem.

Joo Ho-young, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Chairman of the People Power Party's Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment, is explaining the content of the first meeting at his office in the National Assembly on March 4, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Jo stated, "There may be concerns that the president's powers would increase with a four-year re-election system," and added, "Within such considerations, we will focus on discussing the distribution of power between the prime minister and the president, the executive and the legislature, and between central and local governments."

She also said, "We discussed proposals to include issues such as the electoral system and low birthrate and aging population within the spirit of the constitution," and added, "If the impeachment is dismissed, we plan to open up various issues for comprehensive discussion over time."

When a reporter asked if the committee had reached a consensus on the four-year re-election constitutional amendment, Jo replied, "No decision has been made yet, but there is no major disagreement. There is a consensus."

Jo explained, "There was an opinion that if the majority party impeaches 29 times, having a system like the dissolution of the National Assembly or an equivalent mechanism would prevent reckless impeachments and curb the abuse of parliamentary power," and added, "However, since the president should not dissolve the National Assembly arbitrarily just because they are displeased, we agreed to discuss what kind of checks and balances should be in place if the impeachment is dismissed."

The special committee decided to hold meetings every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Jo also mentioned that two online meetings are scheduled before the next meeting to discuss proposals on power structure reform and issues related to parliamentary immunity.