Woo Wonsik: "Constitutional Amendment Committee Likely to Begin in Mid to Late September... National Referendum May Be Held Separately from Local Elections"

From Including the May 18 Democratization Movement in the Preamble to a Step-by-Step Approach
Pushing for Constitutional Amendments Only to the Extent of Agreement

On August 27, Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Wonsik predicted, "The National Assembly's Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment is expected to reach a general consensus by mid to late September." Regarding the method of constitutional amendment, he mentioned the idea of "amending as much as can be agreed upon" and introduced a multi-stage approach to constitutional revision. He also drew attention by suggesting that the national referendum on constitutional amendment could be held separately, rather than aligning it with the local election schedule.

In an interview with MBC Radio that day, Speaker Woo explained that, considering the timing of the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration and the revision of the Government Organization Act, the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment is expected to become feasible around the end of September. Regarding the specifics of the amendment, he said, "Because constitutional amendments have been neglected for so long, whenever the time comes, everyone brings up their own demands, resulting in many differences of opinion." He added, "This time, let's proceed with as much constitutional revision as can be agreed upon. (For now) we can open the door to constitutional amendment and divide the process into several stages if necessary."

Regarding feasible amendments, he said, "In the first stage, we can address issues with broad public consensus, such as including a preamble on the May 18 Democratization Movement, ensuring that martial law cannot be declared except in cases of war or similar emergencies by requiring National Assembly approval, transferring the Board of Audit and Inspection to the National Assembly, decentralization of local governments, and matters related to basic rights. These can be accomplished without major disagreements."

Woo Wonsik, Speaker of the National Assembly, responds to reporters' questions as he appears as a witness at the Special Prosecutor's Office for Internal Rebellion set up at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on August 7, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On the issue of restructuring the power system, such as introducing a four-year two-term presidency, he said, "It would be ideal to hold it together with next year's local elections," explaining, "That way, the cycles of the presidential, local, and general elections would align every two years, allowing for proper evaluation." However, he also stated, "If we cannot address everything in the first stage, we can carry the remaining issues into the second stage. Even a single constitutional amendment is a hundred times better than doing nothing." Regarding concerns that linking constitutional amendment discussions to local elections could affect the elections themselves, Speaker Woo said, "If it becomes problematic, holding the constitutional referendum separately could be considered. Since the voter turnout must exceed 50%, if we judge that this is achievable, it may be better to conduct it separately from public elections." He emphasized, "The first stage of constitutional amendment means opening the door to further amendments. We must start by revising the National Referendum Act."

He also addressed concerns that constitutional discussions might lose momentum due to the National Assembly audit in October, explaining, "The Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment will begin its discussions, and the committee's advisory board will be formed."

Meanwhile, Speaker Woo shared a conversation he had with Choo Kyungho, then floor leader of the People Power Party (now a lawmaker), during the martial law on December 3 last year. Regarding the timing of the plenary session, he said, "I told him I would give him an hour to come in, but he asked for more time. Later, when martial law troops broke the glass and entered the main building, the situation became more urgent, so I said I would move it up by 30 minutes, but he asked for more time again." On this, Speaker Woo commented, "Former floor leader Choo said this because more lawmakers needed to enter the National Assembly, but later I found out that he was already inside the National Assembly."