Rival parties clash over constitutional amendment

Описание: 정부 개헌안 확정에 여야 비방전 고조

Upset with the government's proposal to amend the constitution, opposition parties claim... the National Assembly should be at the forefront of the process.
But with rival blocs still wide apart on major sticking points, there's doubt that they could indeed come up with their own proposals.
Kim Min-ji looks at the different opinions on how the historic revision should be carried out.
Pressure has been renewed on the National Assembly to produce a draft amendment to the Constitution, with the government on track to submit a version of its own.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea said parliamentary negotiations on the issue need to be sped up -- and called on the main opposition Liberty Korea Party to stop hindering the discussions.

"Parliament has talked enough,... going back to January last year.
The main opposition party needs to say what it actually wants and not just oppose the government's proposal. Whatever matters they wish to bring up, we're willing to discuss them openly."

The conservative Liberty Korea Party has been strongly critical of the government drafting a constitutional revision,... saying it couldn't be further from the "people-led" process that's been demanded.
The party said the government is not only making a mistake, it's missing the point.

"The government's proposal will leave a huge blemish on the country's constitutional history. The proposal must be crafted by the National Assembly to put an end to the imperial presidency. We promise to draft the kind of amendment the people want."

The centrist Bareun Mirae Party also claimed that the government's proposal keeps power centralized in the presidency by allowing a leader to serve up to eight years, up from the current five.
The party also stressed that the so-called "imperial" system was the reason millions of Koreans joined in last year's candlelight protests.

"The amendment has not been drawn up with the agreement of the National Assembly or the people. There are different opinions within the ruling party,... and a government-led revision ignores the demands of the opposition -- it's a clear example of imperial-style control."

The minor opposition parties also agreed that the National Assembly should be at the forefront of the amendment process,... and that amending the Constitution without changing the authoritative presidential system would be meaningless.

"With the president seeking to hold a referendum in line with the local elections on June 13th,... there's not much time left for the rival parties to overcome their differences and craft a proposal. Another hurdle is that the proposal requires at least two-thirds support of the 293-seat parliament. And the main opposition party holds 116 seats -- more than enough to block it.

Whether the government's proposal will spur the parties to come up with their own version remains to be seen -- they've yet to reach a consensus on either when to hold the referendum... or how to change the presidential system.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.

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