Gathering Opinions from Political Parties in the Future...
Urges Parties to Present Constitutional Amendment Pledges
Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik withdrew his proposal for a 'simultaneous presidential election and constitutional amendment vote' after three days.
Speaker Woo Won-shik adjusts his glasses before holding a press conference on constitutional amendment at the National Assembly Sarangjae on the 6th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 9th, Speaker Woo stated on Facebook, "Let's continue full discussions after the presidential election based on a consensus among all political parties," adding, "I have judged that a constitutional amendment vote simultaneous with the presidential election has become practically difficult under the current circumstances."
Speaker Woo said, "The Democratic Party of Korea, the Party for National Innovation, and the Progressive Party, which have been focusing their efforts on condemning unconstitutional and illegal emergency martial law, have expressed that managing the political situation takes priority over constitutional amendment discussions for now," and added, "If the constitutional amendment proposed by the People Power Party aims to reduce the powers of the National Assembly, an agreement is virtually impossible."
Speaker Woo stated, "Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, acting as the President, has overstepped his authority by nominating a constitutional court justice who should be appointed by the President, ignoring the National Assembly and plunging the political situation into chaos, making stable constitutional amendment discussions difficult," and said, "At present, I believe it is best to fully accept the concerns raised and will gather opinions from each political party again in the future."
Speaker Woo emphasized, "An early presidential election is a constitutional procedure for restoring the constitution and stabilizing state affairs," and urged, "We must create a new consensus on the democracy and constitutional order destroyed by the emergency martial law of December 3. I ask that the presidential candidates of each party present the content of this consensus and the main points of the constitutional amendment as their pledges."
Speaker Woo said, "I have never advocated for a parliamentary system constitutional amendment. Even in my previous proposal, I emphasized a national consensus on a four-year renewable term," and added, "The presidential system is a result of the June Democratic Uprising, and a parliamentary system cannot gain national approval, which has been my consistent position."
Speaker Woo stated, "I do not know why my constitutional amendment proposal was labeled as a parliamentary system amendment. It is very regrettable, as it stifles and blocks rational debate," and added, "Without efforts to listen, respect, coordinate, and adjust, politics cannot be restored."
Earlier, Speaker Woo held an emergency press conference on the 6th and proposed holding a constitutional amendment referendum simultaneously with the upcoming presidential election, but faced opposition from the Democratic Party.
On the 7th, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, rejected Speaker Woo's proposal, saying, "While advancing democracy is important, it is more urgent and important at this moment to prevent the destruction of democracy."
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