National Resolution Rally Urging a May 18 Constitutional Amendment
On the 25th, Woo Wonsik, Speaker of the National Assembly, stated, "On March 1 next month, I will place the National Referendum Act on the agenda of the plenary session," adding, "If we hold discussions until then, we will be able to pass the National Referendum Act on the historic March 1 Independence Movement Day."
On the 25th, Woo Wonsik, Speaker of the National Assembly, attended a rally at the National Assembly Members' Office Building urging the inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the preamble of the Constitution and spoke with Lee Buyeong, honorary chairman of the Foundation for Press Freedom. Yonhap News Agency
That afternoon, at a national resolution rally held at the National Assembly to urge a constitutional amendment to include the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the Constitution, Speaker Woo said, "The National Assembly surveyed 12,000 people and conducted face-to-face interviews with 2,000 of them, and 90% of the overwhelming majority of the people responded that the spirit of May 18 must be included in the preamble of the Constitution."
He went on to say, "Debates in the National Assembly will proceed according to procedure, so I ask each party to create an internal body that can discuss the constitutional amendment," explaining, "For the Special Committee on Constitutional Amendment to deliberate, each party's body must submit a proposal after sufficient deliberation."
Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "Including the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the Constitution is the path to overcoming anti-democracy and anti-human rights, and the path to achieving economic development in the Republic of Korea. The core of national development is democracy," adding, "The proposal to enshrine the spirit of May 18 in the Constitution is not about benefiting only the people of Gwangju, but about ensuring a better life for all the people." He then warned, "Anyone who opposes including the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the Constitution is probably not a citizen of the Republic of Korea."
At the resolution rally, Shin Geukjeong, president of the Association of the Wounded of May 18, who delivered the opening remarks, began by saying, "I stand here today as someone directly involved in May 18," and then added, "What we are concerned about and also hope for is that it will not be handled hastily under the pretext of urgency." Shin continued, "I hope for more meticulous and in-depth research so that, long in the future after the spirit of May 18 is included in the preamble of the Constitution, there will be no regrets or belated remorse."
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