Pledges swift action on amending the National Referendum Act
To establish a legislative situation room to monitor progress rates
To process livelihood and reform bills at top speed
On the 3rd, Han Byungdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, proposed that in the June 3 local elections, a one-point constitutional amendment be used to enshrine the "May 18 Spirit" in the preamble of the Constitution. Emphasizing a rapid legislative push, Floor Leader Han pledged to advance livelihood-related bills and to establish a "Legislative Promotion Situation Room" to monitor their progress.
Through his policy speech as the representative of his negotiation bloc at the National Assembly plenary session that day, Floor Leader Han proposed pursuing the local elections and constitutional amendment simultaneously. He said, "We propose a one-point constitutional amendment to be carried out together with the upcoming local elections," adding, "Let us include the May 18 Spirit in the preamble of the Constitution." His idea is to open the way for constitutional revision based on the smallest common denominator, such as enshrining the May 18 Spirit in the preamble of the Constitution, which opposition parties including the People Power Party have also previously supported.
He added, "We will also push ahead as quickly as possible with the amendment of the National Referendum Act proposed by National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik." Earlier, after the Constitutional Court handed down an unconstitutionality ruling on the National Referendum Act, no amendment had been made for 11 years, creating a situation of "legislative omission." He is declaring his intention to take the lead in removing the obstacle that has so far blocked constitutional amendment.
Floor Leader Han also criticized a proposal raised within some quarters of the People Power Party to hang a photo of former President Chun Doohwan at the party headquarters. Aiming at the People Power Party, he said, "Outwardly they bow their heads, but behind the scenes the leadership personally brought in an extreme right-wing figure who insults May 18 and praises Chun Doohwan, and allowed him to join the party," adding, "Praising the ringleader of a rebellion is a direct challenge to the sovereign people and a clear denial of the constitutional order." He went on, "The only final judgment the people can hand down on a party that refuses the command of the sovereign and casts away constitutional values is 'punishment,'" urging, "The People Power Party must sever ties with the extreme right-wing forces who are still shouting 'Yoon Again' and with the unrepentant rebellion forces."
In effect, by advocating a one-point constitutional amendment centered on the May 18 Spirit, Floor Leader Han is seen as both opening the way for constitutional revision and making clear his demand that the People Power Party explicitly break with the legacy of rebellion.
Maximum speed on livelihood and reform legislation for state affairs agenda
Floor Leader Han also pledged a legislative speed-up. President Lee Jaemyung had previously pointed out the slow pace of legislation in the National Assembly on January 27 and 29. Apparently mindful of this, Floor Leader Han said, "Twenty months after the opening of the current National Assembly, the bill processing rate stands at only 22.5%," adding, "This is much lower even compared to 28.7% in the 21st National Assembly and 23.9% in the 20th over the same period." In this regard, he said, "We will lay a 'high-speed expressway for livelihood and reform legislation' in the National Assembly and reach maximum speed in handling the Lee Jaemyung administration's state affairs agenda and livelihood and reform bills," and added, "The Democratic Party will establish a 'Livelihood Economy Legislative Promotion Situation Room' within the Assembly." Through this situation room, he intends to check the progress rate of legislation related to state affairs tasks and livelihood bills, and report it to the public.
Han Byungdo, floor leader of the Democratic Party, is delivering a policy speech on state affairs as the representative of a negotiation bloc at the 2nd plenary session of the 432nd National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly on 2026.2.3. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Floor Leader Han also disclosed the timetable for advancing livelihood bills. He pledged to pass the "Special Act on Administrative Integration" and the "Local Autonomy Act" within February. In addition, he expressed his intention to secure cooperation from the opposition parties to pass the "Special Act on Strategic Investment Management between Korea and the United States," which has been a key issue in the Korea-U.S. customs negotiations. He promised to pass within the first half of the year the "Act on Market Channel Support," which supports small and medium-sized enterprises in entering the public procurement market and expanding overseas, the "Act on Overseas Expansion of Small and Medium Venture Enterprises," and the "Small Business Act," which aims to establish an integrated and dedicated support system for the recovery of small business owners. He also expressed his intention to push for the "Youth Employment Promotion Act" for young people who have been "out of work for a long period." With regard to the capital market, he said, "We will further accelerate capital market reform by pushing ahead with the third amendment to the Commercial Act, centered on making the retirement of treasury shares mandatory, introducing a Korean-style discovery system, expanding the stewardship code (guidelines for the exercise of voting rights by institutional investors), and enacting a law to prevent stock price suppression."
He also expressed his commitment to reform legislation. He said, "Prosecution and judicial reform is an irresistible spirit of the times," adding, "The Democratic Party will promptly pass three major reform bills to protect the basic rights of the people and the rule of law." Regarding prosecution reform, he stressed that "the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, the establishment of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Office, and the complete separation of investigation and indictment are fundamental principles that must never be shaken."
In addition, Floor Leader Han pointed out problems with the ruling related to First Lady Kim Keonhee and said, "We must promptly launch a second comprehensive special prosecutor investigation so that we can more thoroughly investigate and clearly punish the various suspicions and the substance surrounding Kim Keonhee." Regarding the special prosecutor, he argued, "We must conduct a joint special prosecutor investigation into the Unification Church and Shincheonji in order to completely sever the collusion between politics and religion."
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