Cheong Wa Dae, the Presidential Office, expressed regret on Wednesday over the failed passage of a constitutional amendment bill, saying, "It will be difficult for the public to understand why even this minimal amendment, intended to safeguard national security and democracy, was opposed."
The constitutional amendment bill, jointly proposed by six political parties including the Democratic Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party, the Reform Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party—excluding the People Power Party (PPP)—was tabled at the National Assembly plenary session the previous day but failed to establish a vote due to insufficient quorum. When the PPP filed a filibuster request regarding the amendment just one day later, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik declined to resubmit the amendment on Wednesday. "The procedure for the constitutional amendment implementation vote scheduled for June 3 is hereby suspended as of today," Woo said.
In a written briefing on the failed passage, Cheong Wa Dae Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, "We express regret that the amendment was ultimately blocked by the opposition of PPP lawmakers. This amendment sought to incorporate the spirit of the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising and the May 18 Democratization Movement into the Constitution's preamble, and to explicitly stipulate the state's responsibility for balanced regional development and the National Assembly's strengthened authority over martial law." She emphasized, "This was a public demand to reflect the lessons of the December 3 illegal martial law incident in the Constitution, and there was no significant disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties."
Kang said, "The constitutional amendment discussions promised to the people must never be halted," urging the PPP to adopt a more forward-looking stance. "We ask the latter half of the National Assembly to continue amendment discussions with a more responsible attitude and keep the promise made to the people." She added, "A constitutional amendment is not merely a matter of reforming the system. It must become a new starting point for restoring consultative politics, national unity, and social harmony beyond extreme confrontation and political strife."
Kang concluded, "Cheong Wa Dae will continue to unwaveringly pursue constitutional amendment discussions, the task of our era, together with the people."
Meanwhile, this marked the third time a constitutional amendment bill has failed to establish a vote due to insufficient quorum. The government's amendment bill proposed during the Moon Jae-in administration in 2018 and the amendment bill submitted in 2020 by the Democratic Party together with civic groups through a citizen-initiated format both failed to establish a vote due to PPP opposition. However, the PPP had previously advocated for a constitutional amendment to a three-year presidential term system from early 2025 until just before the presidential election, following former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, when President Lee Jae-myung's election appeared imminent.
