The speaker of the South Korean National Assembly yesterday proposed revising the constitution to curb presidential powers, citing public support for such a move after former 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,” South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik told a news 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 Yoon’s ouster on Friday by the nation’s Constitutional Court.
Photo: Reuters
The court upheld parliament’s impeachment of Yoon for briefly declaring martial law on Dec. 3 last year, sparking South Korea’s 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,” Woo said, 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 last month found that 54 percent of people polled support a constitutional revision to fix the presidential system, while 30 percent said it is unnecessary.
Yoon yesterday said that although he had stepped down, he would “always stand by” his supporters, who fought for “freedom and defending sovereignty.”
Acting South Korean President Han Duck-soo and the election commission are considering June 3 for the election, the commission has said.
The constitution was last revised in 1987 to introduce direct presidential elections and a single, five-year term.
In the past few years, presidential candidates from across the political spectrum have supported revisions including giving presidents two four-year terms, but few concrete steps have been taken after new leaders were chosen.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party is studying possible amendments, and its presidential hopefuls have mentioned barring presidents from seeking more than two four-year terms.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College