National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik said Wednesday, one day before stepping down as speaker for the first half of the 22nd National Assembly, that he hopes "the second half of the National Assembly will surely form a special committee on constitutional amendment and bear fruit." Woo said he would return to the Democratic Party of Korea and fulfill his role, but did not clearly state his position on a bid for the next party leadership.
Holding a farewell press conference at the National Assembly that day, Woo cited "defending democracy and restoring constitutional order against the December 3 emergency martial law" as the greatest achievement of his term. He also mentioned the passage of livelihood-related bills, including the Yellow Envelope Act, the revised Commercial Act, and the Special Semiconductor Act.
He once again expressed regret over the collapse of the constitutional amendment attempt earlier this month, the first such effort in 39 years. Regarding the amendment, he said, "We have created a new major current. We revised the National Referendum Act to remove procedural obstacles, and public consensus on a phased constitutional amendment has broadened," urging the formation of a special committee on constitutional amendment in the second half of the National Assembly.
On the issue of the "neutrality of the National Assembly speaker" that emerged amid the standoff between the ruling and opposition parties, he said, "If neutrality means 'standing still' between the two sides, the National Assembly will face increasing difficulties going forward."
Since Woo will rejoin the Democratic Party after completing his term, the possibility of his running in the August party convention has been raised. On this, Woo kept his comments brief, saying, "I will do my best for democracy in our country and for the socially vulnerable."
