Han Byungdo Proposes One-Point Constitutional Amendment During Local Elections: "Let’s Enshrine the Spirit of May 18 in the Constitution"

Pledge to Expedite Revision of the National Referendum Act
Establishment of a Legislative Situation Room to Monitor Progress
Maximizing Speed in Processing Livelihood and Reform Bills

Han Byungdo, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed on February 3 to enshrine the "spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement" in the preamble of the Constitution through a one-point constitutional amendment during the June 3 local elections. Han emphasized the need for legislative speed and promised to establish a "Legislative Progress Situation Room" to monitor the advancement of livelihood-related bills.

During his negotiation group representative speech at the National Assembly plenary session that day, Han suggested pursuing both the local elections and constitutional amendment simultaneously. He stated, "I propose a one-point constitutional amendment to coincide with the upcoming local elections," and added, "Let us include the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble of the Constitution." His proposal is to open the door to constitutional revision based on the minimum consensus, such as the inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the preamble, which has also been advocated by opposition parties like the People Power Party.

He also said, "We will promptly push forward the revision of the National Referendum Act as proposed by National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik." The National Referendum Act has remained unrevised for 11 years after being ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court, resulting in a legislative vacuum. Han expressed his commitment to actively remove obstacles that have hindered constitutional amendments.

Han also pledged to accelerate legislative procedures. Previously, President Lee Jaemyung had pointed out the slow legislative pace of the National Assembly on January 27 and 29. Acknowledging this, Han noted, "As of now, 20 months since the opening of the current session, the bill processing rate is only 22.5%," adding, "This is significantly lower compared to the 28.7% of the 21st National Assembly and 23.9% of the 20th during the same period." In this regard, he stated, "We will pave a 'high-speed legislative expressway for livelihood reforms' in the National Assembly and maximize the handling of the Lee Jaemyung administration’s policy agenda and livelihood and reform bills." He further pledged, "The Democratic Party will establish a 'Livelihood Economy Legislative Progress Situation Room' within the parliamentary group." Through this situation room, the party will monitor the progress of policy agenda and livelihood legislation and report to the public.

Han Byungdo, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering the representative negotiation group speech on state affairs at the 2nd plenary session of the 432nd National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly on February 3, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Han also disclosed the legislative schedule for livelihood bills. He pledged to process the "Special Act on Administrative Integration" and the "Local Autonomy Act" within February. In addition, he expressed his intention to work with opposition parties to pass the "Special Act for Strategic Investment Management between Korea and the United States," which has been a key issue in Korea-US tariff negotiations. He committed to processing the "Market Access Support Act" and the "Overseas Expansion Act for Small and Medium Venture Enterprises," which support SMEs' entry into procurement markets and overseas expansion, as well as the "Small Business Act" to establish an integrated recovery support system for small business owners, all within the first half of the year. He also expressed his intention to promote the "Youth Employment Promotion Act" for young people who have been out of work for an extended period.

Han also expressed his commitment to reform legislation. He stated, "Prosecution and judicial reform is the spirit of the times that cannot be resisted," and added, "The Democratic Party will swiftly process the three major reform bills to protect the basic rights of the people and the rule of law." Regarding capital markets, he said, "We will further accelerate capital market reforms by pushing for the third amendment to the Commercial Act, which mandates treasury stock cancellation, introducing a Korean-style discovery system, expanding the stewardship code, and enacting laws to prevent stock price manipulation."