Council President Cho Jaegu of the Korea Council of Mayors, County Heads and District Heads: "Values of the Era Such as Low Birth Rates and Aging Must Be Enshrined in the Constitution"

Joint Hosting of Constitutional Amendment Debate

The Korea Council of Mayors, County Heads and District Heads (represented by President Cho Jaegu, Mayor of Nam District in Daegu) and the Korea Manifesto Center (Secretary General Lee Gwangjae) jointly held a debate titled "Constitutional Amendment Debate in Step with Citizens' Lives" at 1 p.m. on February 4, 2026, in Seminar Room 2 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building.

In his opening remarks, Council President Cho Jaegu stressed that "most discussions on constitutional amendment so far have focused on restructuring the central power structure, such as dispersing presidential authority, and have been disconnected from citizens' lives," and added, "This debate is different from previous constitutional amendment debates in that it serves as a forum for public discussion aimed at reflecting citizens' transformed lives and new values of the era in the Constitution, amid rapid social changes such as low birth rates, aging, regional extinction, and the AI and digital revolution."

At a constitutional amendment debate, Jo Jaegu, Representative Chairperson of the Korea Association of Mayors, County Governors and District Heads (right), and Democratic Party lawmaker Jo Jeongsik are clenching their fists and shouting "Fighting!"

The debate was conducted in three sessions. The first session covered equal and appropriate population, the second session focused on the Constitution, local autonomy and decentralization, and the third session dealt with the digital society and fundamental rights, with presentations and discussions held under each theme.

In the first session, Korea Manifesto Center Secretary General Lee Gwangjae pointed out the inequities in national policy and proposed directions for constitutional amendment to mitigate them, while Professor Kim Sangjun gave a lecture on a future Constitution starting from citizens' lives. Lawmakers Kim Yongmin, Lee Gwanghee and Lee Haesik, as well as Oh Hyunsun, Director of the Public Agenda Research Institute, and others took part in the roundtable.

In the second session, Co-Representative Ahn Kwonuk, in a presentation titled "Tasks for Constitutional Amendment to Strengthen a Decentralized National System," proposed expanding direct citizen participation and resident self-governance; guaranteeing autonomy in administration, finance and legislation along with a decentralization-oriented constitutional amendment; and redefining the constitutional status of local governments as a local political system by changing the designation of local autonomous entities to "local governments."

In the third session, Professor Hong Seongi argued for the need to design new fundamental rights suited to the digital age, and Kim Byeongkwon, Director of the Green Institute, and others presented alternative urban models for future society, such as climate, welfare, care and inter-city cooperation.

In February 2025, the Council announced a "Joint Declaration on Constitutional Amendment for Local Decentralization," and in March it held a "National Assembly Press Conference on a Decentralized Constitutional Amendment Bill" jointly with the four major local government councils.

Going forward, in response to the AI era, the Council intends to promote and strengthen fundamental rights to protect digital rights and human dignity, and, in the era of popular sovereignty, to build social consensus on how to redefine the status and role of basic local governments and how to enshrine resident self-governance in the Constitution.

Starting with this day's constitutional amendment debate, the Council plans to actively pursue a constitutional amendment directly linked to citizens' lives by building solidarity and cooperation with civil society organizations, the four major local government councils, and political circles.