South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stressed the need for constitutional amendments on Wednesday, asserting that the constitution has remained unchanged for nearly 40 years and is “no longer in line with the times.”
The official Yonhap News Agency reported that “the president stressed in a televised cabinet meeting the need to amend the constitution partially and gradually if necessary.”
The agency quoted the president as saying, “There needs to be a practical approach to do as much as possible.” Lee added, “I think it would be practical to pursue a partial change in phases to an extent agreed (by relevant parties).”
The agency added it remains unclear whether Lee’s administration will be able to amend the constitution, given the opposition of the main People Power Party.
It noted that putting the bill to a national referendum requires the approval of two-thirds of the current members of parliament, and a simple majority is needed for final approval of the amendment.
Lee’s remarks came a day before the National Assembly was expected to vote on a constitutional amendment bill, spearheaded by the ruling Democratic Party, which primarily aims to tighten the conditions for declaring martial law.
Meanwhile, North Korea has removed any reference to unification with South Korea from its constitution, confirming Pyongyang’s pursuit of a more hostile policy toward Seoul.
A clause stating that North Korea aimed “to realize the unification of the motherland” no longer appears in the latest version of the constitution, which was shared at a news conference held at South Korea’s Unification Ministry. EIR
