National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik reaffirmed the timeline for the launch of the constitutional amendment special committee, saying on the 27th, "I will launch the special committee on constitutional amendments by the end of September." He emphasized, "President Lee Jae-myung's will for constitutional amendment is also clear," and presented a phased constitutional amendment plan that begins with issues that have strong public consensus and gradually addresses the restructuring of power.
During a morning appearance on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' he explained, "The period when the government started without a transition team stabilizes, and the three special investigations produce certain results, as well as when the government organization law can be addressed, is around the end of September," adding, "By mid to late September, a rough plan should be determined."
He said, "Since last year, I have already formed a constitutional advisory committee, and the advisory proposal for constitutional amendment has been completed," and added, "Once the constitutional amendment special committee is formed, we will travel across the country to hold discussion sessions and gather public opinions to ensure that the constitutional amendment is done together with the people." There are also plans to establish a constitutional amendment advisory committee under the special committee.
Regarding President Lee Jae-myung's will for constitutional amendment, he said, "I believe it is very clear." Woo noted, "In April, when I brought up the idea of constitutional amendment and faced a backlash, I had already discussed it sufficiently with the party leader Lee Jae-myung," and added, "When the party leader made a constitutional amendment pledge on May 18, he mentioned, 'It was too opposed to progress, and I received many misunderstandings and faced difficulties, for which I apologize.'"
He continued, "Last Constitution Day, I expressed my intention to bring up constitutional amendment again, and the presidential office took the essence of my remarks, and the president once again posted on social media that 'constitutional amendment is necessary,'" emphasizing, "I have discussed it several times with the president, and the will for constitutional amendment is clear."
Concerning the method of constitutional amendment, he suggested a phased approach. As the first phase, he identified "issues with broad public consensus," including ▲ inclusion of the spirit of May 18 in the constitutional preamble ▲ establishment of parliamentary approval for martial law ▲ transfer of powers to the Board of Audit and Inspection ▲ expansion of decentralization ▲ strengthening of basic rights. He mentioned that restructuring of power could be discussed in the second phase, saying, "If possible, we want to implement a four-year re-election system and a runoff voting system."
Regarding the referendum procedure, he emphasized, "It should be held like public elections to increase voter turnout and exceed 50%," noting, "We need to start with amending the referendum law." The current referendum law does not have an early voting system and stipulates a voting age of 19, which conflicts with the Public Election Act (which allows voting from age 18). Additionally, the voting rights of overseas citizens are restricted, prompting a 2014 ruling by the Constitutional Court that deemed it unconstitutional, highlighting the need for institutional improvement.
Some in the political sphere expressed concerns that holding the constitutional referendum simultaneously with next year's local elections or general elections could impact the election dynamics. In response, Woo stated, "If it becomes an issue, we may consider separating the constitutional referendum."
Woo will attend China's Victory Day event next month. Regarding this, he said, "It's not a situation where President Lee can go, so I thought I should take over the role of the National Assembly Speaker and decided to go."
He also mentioned that regarding the APEC summit to be held in Gyeongju in November, "It seems that it has almost been decided for President Xi Jinping to attend as early as February," and added, "In February, President Xi told me, 'It is customary for state leaders to attend APEC, and I am also reviewing it actively to proceed in that direction.'"