President urges bipartisan dialogue on constitution reform

“It is time to revise and refine our Constitution,” South Korean President Lee Jae-myung posted on Facebook on Thursday, the country’s Constitution Day. He also called the National Assembly to “embark on the grand journey of a people-centered constitutional amendment.” He cited the inclusion of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the Constitution’s preamble, the strengthening of basic rights, the expansion of local autonomy, and the reform of powerful institutions as key tasks. In his Constitution Day speech, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik also proposed a “step-by-step and continuous constitutional reform,” emphasizing the need to begin with a “minimal amendment” that could be readily agreed upon by the government, the National Assembly, and the public.

President Lee’s comments are a reiteration of his long-held views, now timed to Constitution Day. During his presidential campaign, he had proposed a constitutional amendment that included a four-year presidential term with one re-election, the National Assembly’s recommendation for prime minister appointment, and the removal of the prosecution’s monopoly on warrant requests. This time, he emphasized a “people-centered amendment” led by the National Assembly rather than the presidential office and notably left out any changes to the power structure. While this might have been intended to avoid backlash from taking a presidential lead, some may interpret this as passing the responsibility to the National Assembly.

There is a broad consensus that the current Constitution, a product of the democratization movement in 1987, has reached the end of its effective life after nearly 40 years. Yet repeated attempts at revision have failed due to political wrangling focused on power redistribution based on their own interests. Those who have newly come to power often reverse their previous support for amendments. As a result, constitutional reform only gains traction when those in power face mounting failures, turning the issue into a political “black hole” that consumes all other discourse and deepens divisions and conflict.

To avoid repeating these failures, now is the time to accelerate discussions. President Lee has already proposed a phased approach, suggesting the 2026 local elections and the 2028 general elections as timelines for the first and second stages of amendment. Speaker Woo’s concept of “minimal first steps and phased, continuous amendments” aligns with this vision. With less than a year remaining until the next local elections, time is short. Constitutional reform should serve as a national step forward, a platform for integration, not division. The ruling and opposition parties must come together urgently for dialogue.