Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party’s floor leader who won a second term, said May 7 he would push for swift passage of a constitutional amendment, move quickly to form the National Assembly’s second-half leadership and complete the Lee Jae-myung government’s legislative agenda.
Speaking at his first policy coordination meeting since taking office again, Han warned the People Power Party, which has adopted opposition to the amendment as its party line, that it would face “irreversible public judgment” if it continues to block the measure.
Han said the National Assembly would convene a plenary session later in the day to vote on the amendment drafted jointly by the Democratic Party and five opposition parties. He said the proposal would add the spirit of the Bu-Ma Democratic Protests and the May 18 movement to the Constitution’s preamble, strengthen parliamentary control over declarations of martial law and spell out the state’s duty to pursue balanced national development.
Responding to the People Power Party’s claim that the proposal is an election-driven pledge, Han challenged the party to specify which provisions it considers political. He said giving the Assembly stronger authority over “illegal martial law” is intended to prevent dictatorship, and added that, as President Lee Jae-myung has said, the public would view opponents of the amendment as defending illegal martial law.
Han urged People Power Party lawmakers to take part in the vote, saying those with “even a shred of conscience and conviction” should not stay away. If the party avoids what he called a historic responsibility, he said, it would face “irreversible public judgment.”
Han also said the second-half organization of the 21st National Assembly took 54 days, and warned against wasting time while neglecting people’s livelihoods. He said he would prepare the new Assembly lineup without gaps to avoid even a brief constitutional vacuum.
He said the Assembly would complete the election of the second-half speaker and deputy speakers at a plenary session on May 20, then promptly choose standing committee chairs to begin legislation aimed at addressing the Middle East crisis and stabilizing livelihoods. Han said he would also work to complete the Lee government’s major policy agenda through legislation by the end of this year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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