Ruling party head proposes revising Constitution by early 2011

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Yonhap) -- The head of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) on
Friday proposed revising the Constitution by early 2011 to overhaul the nation's
current system of government that is excessively centered on presidential power.
Chung Mong-joon also urged both ruling and opposition parties to open
full-fledged discussions on the Constitutional revision this year.
"More than 20 years have passed since the last amendment of the Constitution in
1987. The Constitution should be redressed in order to prepare the nation for
unification and the status of an advanced country," Chung said in a news
conference.
"We should look for a better system in which power is not concentrated in one
place."
A National Assembly advisory body last year proposed revising the Constitution to
replace the current five-year single-term presidency with a semi-presidential
system or a U.S.-style four-year presidency with a maximum two terms.
It recommended that the upcoming discussions on constitutional amendments be
focused on delegating a portion of the president's power to the prime minister
and parliament, and reinforcing the efficiency and democratic nature of
parliamentary operations.
Regarding parliamentary reform, the panel proposed that a bicameral system be
introduced, with tenures at the lower and upper houses set at four and six years,
respectively. Members of the unicameral parliament now serve a tenure of four
years.
"If the discussion on a revision could be wrapped up by this year, (the National
Assembly) would be able to pass an amendment bill during an extraordinary session
in February of next year."
The chairman also stressed that such discussion over a constitutional amendment
could serve as a stepping stone toward upgrading the image of the National
Assembly, which was badly marred late last year when rival parties clashed over
passage of the government budget bill for this year.
National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o has also urged rival parties to establish a
special bipartisan committee to begin full-fledged discussions on the
constitutional revision.
Political experts here have generally shared the view that the current
single-term presidency, introduced in 1987 in response to a growing pro-democracy
movement and to prevent future dictatorships, does not fit well with a
democratized South Korea.
A constitutional revision must first be approved by two-thirds of sitting
lawmakers and then in a national referendum. At present, the GNP controls 169
seats in the 299-member unicameral house, compared with the DP's 87 seats. The
ruling party is about 30 seats short of the two-thirds of parliamentary seats
needed to independently revise the Constitution.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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