As the Lee Jae-myung administration confirmed "constitutional amendment" as the No. 1 state agenda for its term, attention is focusing on its feasibility. Both the ruling and opposition parties agree on the need for an amendment, but negotiations to form a special parliamentary committee on constitutional amendment have stalled. With strategic calculations entangled over the timing of a national referendum tied to major elections and the direction of overhauling the power structure, concerns are rising that the amendment debate could once again drift.
According to the government on the 17th, the direction for constitutional amendment presented by the Lee Jae-myung administration places emphasis on curbing presidential powers. Along with a four-year, two-term presidency, the core points include: ▲ adoption of a runoff voting system ▲ limits on the president's veto power ▲ a system for the National Assembly to recommend the prime minister ▲ requiring National Assembly consent when appointing heads of neutral institutions ▲ stronger National Assembly control over emergency decrees and martial law.
It also includes tasks to expand basic rights, such as enshrining the spirit of May 18 in the preamble to the Constitution, stipulating Sejong as the administrative capital, and establishing the right to safety. With the government putting forward constitutional amendment as its top state agenda, the ball is now in the National Assembly's court.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik hopes to "launch the special committee on constitutional amendment in late September." In a radio interview 4th, he proposed a "step-by-step amendment," suggesting that in 2026 the National Assembly first handle items with few disagreements, such as enshrining the May 18 preamble and strengthening the National Assembly's approval authority over martial law, and then address power structure reforms, including a four-year, two-term presidency, in the 2028 general election.
The speaker also said he is considering scenarios to hold a national referendum concurrently with the 2026 local elections or the 2028 general election, while noting that if discussions are delayed, a separate national referendum would also be possible.
However, talks between the ruling and opposition parties are at a standstill. The People Power Party took the lead in advocating a decentralizing amendment during the presidential election, saying, "We must consider both dispersing the imperial presidency and limiting abuses of parliamentary power" (former floor leader Kweon Seong-dong). But the mood changed after the Lee Jae-myung administration took office. The party is showing wariness, saying the current administration and ruling party's push for an amendment carries "political intent."
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk told reporters that day, "The culmination of the frame of eliminating the opposition through a special counsel and dissolving the Democratic Party is ultimately a constitutional amendment for long-term rule."
In response, Democratic Party Spokesperson Park Su-hyeon said in a call, "What does the task of completing the administrative capital have to do with long-term rule?" Park added, "The People Power Party has also agreed on the need for an amendment," and emphasized, "The National Assembly and each party should promptly begin discussions on the amendment." Park continued, "The Democratic Party will not only participate in the National Assembly's special committee on constitutional amendment but also begin the discussion process, including considering the formation of an in-party task force (TF)."
For a constitutional amendment bill to clear the National Assembly threshold, it needs the support of at least two-thirds of all sitting members (199 of the current 298). It is impossible without cooperation from the opposition. The timing of the national referendum is also key. If the vote is held concurrently with local or general elections, the ruling and opposition camps could see different advantages and disadvantages, making it harder to reach a deal, according to the prevailing view in political circles.
Attempts to amend the Constitution have repeatedly failed under past administrations. During the 1990 three-party merger, there was an agreement on a parliamentary cabinet system amendment, but it fell through, and the pledge for a similar amendment under the 1997 DJP (Kim Dae-jung–Kim Jong-pil) coalition also was not realized. Since then, former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye all mentioned amendments, but none bore fruit. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, a proposal was submitted but failed to clear the National Assembly due to opposition from the Liberty Korea Party (now the People Power Party).
The Lee Jae-myung administration appears intent on using the early momentum of its term to put the amendment debate on track. But if the ruling and opposition parties continue only to spar without even agreeing on forming the special committee, concerns are growing that this time, too, the "history of failed amendments" could be repeated.
Political commentator Kim Sang-il said, "If it ends up affecting electoral advantages and disadvantages, the discussion could shift into political wrangling, making it difficult," and predicted, "There is a high possibility of repeating the past process in which the debate sank below the surface after becoming fixated on one or two issues and failing to resolve them."