S. Korean parliament chief urges prompt constitutional revision

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary speaker urged the
legislature to make speed in amending the country's decades-old Constitution,
which marked its 61st anniversary Friday.

South Korea has long been weighing the issue of revising its Constitution, last
changed 22 years ago. Opinion is split mainly over whether the law should be
amended to allow a president to seek a second term as in the United States, or to
give greater power to the legislature like many European governments, both of
which would result in dramatically changing the nation's power structure.
"I propose immediately setting up a special legislative committee to discuss the
issue of amendment of the constitution," National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o
said, addressing some 1,500 representatives of the government, judiciary and
foreign embassies attending the Constitution Day ceremony at the National
Assembly.
It would be best to make the amendment before the local elections in June next
year, Kim said.
The South Korean Constitution was revised nine times since its creation, mostly
to extend the rule of authoritarian governments.
"We have a historic task in front of us. Now is the time to review the law from
the beginning and restructure national bodies so that the Republic of Korea can
stand among the world's advanced countries," Kim said.
The late President Roh Moo-hyun had proposed during this term a constitutional
revision largely aimed at replacing the current five-year, single-term
presidential system with a four-year term with eligibility to seek re-election.
While most politicians generally agree that such revision would enable presidents
to manage state affairs in a more stable manner by matching the presidential term
with the four-year term of lawmakers, Roh's drive failed largely due to divided
interests of rival parties.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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