Korean Parliament Passes Referendum Law Amendment; Opposition Boycotts Vote

South Korea's National Assembly Public Administration and Security Committee passed an amendment to the National Referendum Act on Thursday, guaranteeing voting rights for overseas Korean citizens.

The committee held a plenary session and passed the amendment led by the ruling and allied opposition parties. The People Power Party boycotted the vote, protesting the bill's direct submission to the plenary session without subcommittee review.

The amendment addresses a 2014 Constitutional Court ruling that found the existing law unconstitutional. The court had ruled that provisions limiting voter registration to residents with domestic registration or overseas Koreans with reported domestic addresses violated the voting rights of overseas citizens. The court recommended legislative revision by December 31, 2015, but the amendment was delayed for more than a decade.

The passage is considered a prerequisite for constitutional amendment discussions. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik had previously called for revising the referendum law, proposing a constitutional referendum alongside the June local elections.