Lawmakers to start talks on constitutional amendment soon

Lawmakers will start discussion on amending the Constitution after the Lunar New Year holidays.

Thirty-seven lawmakers who sponsor a gathering for constitutional revision will have their first meeting at the National Assembly on their plans, the source said Monday.

A member of the legislators` group also said, “There is a broad consensus that amending the Constitution should start from the early stage of the new administration. So we need to have this gathering started as soon as possible and make the issue public.”

The lawmakers will reportedly discuss forming a committee on constitutional amendment in parliament in this month`s session. To gain momentum, they sent letters again urging participation to all ruling and opposition party lawmakers.

Park Ki-choon, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic United Party, said in a phone interview with The Dong-A Ilbo on Monday, “We believe we can start discussing amending the Constitution because what we want in political reform, such as giving more authority to the prime minister and transfer of the Board of Audit and Inspection (to the National Assembly instead of the presidential office), is not much different from the president-elect’s pledges and there is a public consensus.”

Apart from the gathering, the ruling Saenuri Party will launch a special committee on political reform this week to handle political reform agenda, including amending the Constitution. A key Saenuri source said, “The special committee will have an in-depth discussion on giving up lawmakers’ privileges, reform of the National Assembly and the culture of party politics as well as revising the Constitution, which is now a hot topic of debate. The committee chair will be a well-known figure from outside the party.”

leon@donga.com