Park Seon-won Shares Views on Constitutional Amendment in CBS Radio Interview
"Agrees on Need for Amendment, But Impossible Within 57 Days"
"Disrupts Public Judgment on Presidential Election"
Amid growing discussions about constitutional amendments within some political circles following the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, Park Seon-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, claimed that the amendment is being used as an election campaign tool to prevent Lee Jae-myung from becoming president by saying, "(With the amendment) I will serve a 3-year term, so please vote for me." In an interview on June 7th with CBS Radio's 'Park Jae-hong's One Round Match,' Park said, "The need for constitutional amendment is shared not only by the political circles but by the entire nation. The 1987 system needs to be reformed at least once," but added, "How can all of that be handled at once on June 3rd (the date of the early presidential election)?"
Park stated, "If June 3rd is the election day, there will also be early voting right before that. It is very important for the National Election Commission to properly conduct this major election, but adding a national referendum on top of it and demanding everything be resolved within 57 days is excessive and deserves criticism," and added, "We are not yet in a phase where the internal conflict has been resolved, and the core party of the internal conflict, the People Power Party, actually does not even have the qualification to field a candidate. So I think it is wrong to be discussing constitutional amendments now."
When asked by the host what he meant by 'misunderstanding,' Park said, "I think not only the People Power Party but also some invisible forces are at work," and continued, "Since they cannot win the presidential election anyway, minor candidates are saying, 'I will only serve 3 years, so let's align the election cycles of the legislative and executive branches,' but that is actually nonsense." He further explained, "If the presidential election is held 3 years from now, then the National Assembly election and the presidential election will be held together," adding, "Basically, the legislature and the executive are institutions that check and balance each other, so it does not align with the principle of separation of powers."
He argued, "According to the current term, the presidential election will be held in 2030, and local elections can be held then. If the presidential and executive elections are aligned, a general election will naturally follow two years later," and added, "General elections are held once every four years, and presidential and local elections once every four years. A four-year renewable term constitutional amendment can be done during the new government." He emphasized, "Trying to do this within 57 days is impossible," and said, "The economy is in a very critical state, and the international security environment is unstable. I think this is a disruptive factor that could complicate the public's judgment on this presidential election two or threefold."
Lee Jae-myung: "End Internal Conflict First," Kwon Young-se: "Adjust Parliamentary Powers Too"
Speaker Woo Won-shik is delivering a national address at the National Assembly on the 4th, when the Constitutional Court announced the dismissal of former President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Regarding the statement by Speaker Woo Won-shik that a consensus was reached with the leadership of each party, Park said it was a "principled necessity," but drew a line by saying, "No one has ever heard anyone say, 'Let's hold a national referendum after 57 days and combine it with the presidential election.'" Park said, "If a constitutional amendment bill is drafted, it must be announced to the public for about a month. That means it should be announced by May 3rd," and added, "There should be public hearings, collection of public opinions, expert discussions, but since that is impossible, it should no longer be discussed." He further stated, "This is just being used as an election campaign tool by anyone saying, 'I will only serve a 3-year term, so please vote for me' to prevent Lee Jae-myung from becoming president," and added, "The constitutional amendment issue should not be handled like that."
On the same day, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, also rejected Speaker Woo's proposal, saying, "Constitutional amendment is necessary, but ending the internal conflict comes first." Lee said, "Developing democracy is important, but right now, preventing the destruction of democracy is much more urgent and important."
On the other hand, Kwon Young-se, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, expressed support, saying, "We will push for preparing a constitutional amendment that properly reflects the will of the people and submit it to a national referendum together with the presidential election." Kwon said, "It is not just about dispersing power but about reorganizing the system so that the principles of checks and balances work properly," and added, "The powers of the National Assembly should be adjusted in balance with the powers of the president."
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