President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday stressed regarding the partial constitutional amendment that "I hope what all political circles have unanimously spoken of will be put into practice tomorrow (the 7th)." Ahead of the vote at Thursday's plenary session on the constitutional amendment jointly proposed by six parliamentary parties excluding the People Power Party, the president once again called on the National Assembly to recognize the need for constitutional revision. The amendment includes strengthening requirements for declaring martial law, enshrining the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising and the May 18 Democratization Movement in the constitutional preamble, and strengthening local autonomy.
In opening remarks at a Cabinet meeting and the 7th Emergency Economic Inspection Meeting held at the former presidential compound, Lee said, "This is an opportunity created after a long time, and it concerns matters all citizens agree on and take for granted," adding, "A vote will be held tomorrow on a constitutional amendment that there is no reason to oppose."
Lee said, "Since the current Constitution was enacted in 1987, the Republic of Korea has undergone truly significant changes in various political, economic and social aspects. Yet the Constitution has remained in place for the past 40 years or so." He added, "The world has changed and we have grown in size, but the clothes no longer fit. So don't we need to alter the clothes a little?" He continued, "With the current Constitution, it is difficult to adequately secure the current level of our democracy in Korea, the living conditions of the people, and the future of the nation. At the same time, a full-scale constitutional amendment would be too burdensome. Because political interests diverge, reaching consensus is not easy." He stressed, "But that does not mean we should defer everything. Let us do what we can. We need to approach this with a pragmatic attitude."
Citing the amendment provisions point by point, Lee indirectly criticized the People Power Party, saying, "There may be a few who oppose this. Declaring martial law illegally for the purpose of maintaining power or for personal gain, ruining the country through the military and establishing a dictatorship — isn't it only natural to prevent such things?" He added, "Let us put reasonable controls on emergency martial law into the Constitution. I wonder who would oppose this."
Lee also said, "Let us enshrine the spirit of May 18 in the constitutional preamble. Let us also include the spirit of the Busan-Masan Uprising. Who would oppose this? Don't all of you say so publicly? Both the ruling and opposition parties say so." He pointed out, "This time there is an opportunity to actually include it in the constitutional preamble. Why oppose it? It doesn't make sense." He added, "Strengthening local autonomy is also something all citizens agree on," and said, "Proceeding with partial constitutional amendments sequentially as consensus is reached is the realistic approach."
