South Korea assembly speaker proposes revising constitution to curb presidency

SEOUL - The speaker of South Koreas Parliament on April 6 proposed revising the Constitution to curb presidential powers, citing public support for such a move after President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted for declaring martial law.

“I would like to propose to the people that we should now quickly pursue constitutional revision,” Mr Woo Won-shik, the National Assembly speaker, told a press conference. “After going through the unconstitutional and illegal martial law and (then Yoon’s) impeachment, the public consensus on the urgency of constitutional revision is greater than ever.”

He proposed a national referendum on constitutional reform to coincide with the presidential election that must be held within two months of Yoons ouster on April 4 by the nations Constitutional Court.

The court upheld Parliaments impeachment of Yoon for briefly declaring martial law on Dec 3, sparking South Koreas worst political crisis in decades.

“The national confusion has come to an end with the Constitutional Court’s ruling, but the potential for destructive conflict surrounding presidential power still exists,” said Mr Woo, adding that many South Koreans want to change the “imperial presidency”, which he called a source of extreme political conflict.

A Gallup Korea opinion survey in March found 54 per cent supporting constitutional revision to fix the presidential system and 30 per cent saying that it is unnecessary.

Yoon said on April 6 that although he had stepped down, he would “always stand by” his supporters, who fought for “freedom and defending sovereignty”.

Acting President Han Duck-soo and the election commission are considering June 3 for the election date, the commission has said.

The Constitution was last revised in 1987 to introduce direct presidential elections and a single, five-year term.

In recent years, presidential candidates from across the political spectrum have supported revisions including giving presidents two four-year