On the 8th, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik said he would not place the Republic of Korea constitutional amendment on the agenda after the People Power Party requested a filibuster (unlimited debate) over the amendment.
At the plenary session of the National Assembly held that afternoon, Speaker Woo said, "As of today, the procedures for holding the constitutional amendment implementation vote on June 3 have been halted."
Speaker Woo criticized the move, saying, "The constitutional amendment cannot be passed unless the People Power Party takes part in the vote," and "Whether for or against, they should come in and vote; applying for unlimited debate is an abuse of the system."
He went on, "This amendment is intended to ensure that no one can ever again even dream of illegal martial law and to enshrine in the Constitution the spirit of the Busan-Masan Uprising and the May 18 Democratic Uprising," adding, "The People Power Party blocked the amendment yesterday by not voting and today with a filibuster. If, 20 or 30 years from now, illegal martial law and insurrection occur again because of this, the People Power Party will be criminals before history."
He stressed, "The constitutional debate was not pushed suddenly; it has been formally proposed and discussed multiple times since Constitution Day 2024," adding, "It is not right to claim this is a rushed amendment."
Speaker Woo also criticized the People Power Party for requesting a filibuster on 50 livelihood-related bills. He said, "There are 88 bills that passed the Legislation and Judiciary Committee but have not been handled, and most of the 50 placed on the agenda this time are livelihood bills," adding, "The public will find it hard to understand why this is being blocked."
Speaker Woo said, "A bill is not just a document; it contains people's lives. Blocking the passage of bills needed for people's lives deserves condemnation," and declared adjournment, saying, "I will not place today's bills on the agenda."
Earlier, the amendment was rendered nonvotable at the previous day's plenary session due to the People Power Party's absence. The Democratic Party had planned to handle the amendment by the 10th to hold the local elections and the constitutional referendum simultaneously, but decided not to place it on the plenary agenda after the People Power Party signaled a filibuster on all items to be placed on the floor.