Lee: "The supplementary budget will be executed immediately upon passage... Constitutional amendment should start with agreed issues"

According to Financial News, President Lee Jae Myung on the 6th stressed both the swift execution of the war supplementary budget and the push for a partial, phased constitutional amendment. He called for preparations so the supplementary budget can be implemented immediately after it is passed by the National Assembly, and proposed beginning constitutional revision with issues that already enjoy broad consensus, such as including the May 18 Democratization Movement and the Busan–Masan Uprising in the preamble, strengthening the conditions for declaring martial law, and reinforcing local autonomy.
In his opening remarks at the 14th meeting of the State Council of South Korea and the 4th Emergency Economic Review Meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said, referring to the review of the war supplementary budget, "The same applies to the deliberation of the war supplementary budget," adding, "Actual execution is just as important as shortening the processing period." He went on, "Once the supplementary budget is passed, I ask that you make thorough advance preparations so that budget execution can be carried out efficiently in the shortest possible time."
On the issue of constitutional amendment, he noted, "It has been nearly 40 years since the current Constitution was enacted, and all citizens agree on the need for a constitutional revision that properly reflects our changed society." At the same time, he cautioned, "In the current situation, trying to resolve every issue at once is no different from repeating the same failure." He then stated, "It is only reasonable to pursue constitutional amendment in a partial and phased manner, starting with specific issues on which there is already sufficient public consensus."
President Lee cited as priority items for this round of constitutional revision the inclusion of the May 18 Democratization Movement and the Busan–Masan Uprising in the preamble, the strengthening of conditions for declaring martial law, and the enhancement of local autonomy. He said, "There is no disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties about reflecting the May 18 Democratization Movement or the Busan–Masan Uprising in the preamble, and even the main opposition, the People Power Party (PPP), has repeatedly and explicitly called for their inclusion in the preamble." He continued, "There should also be no disagreement over a constitutional amendment that tightens the conditions for martial law," adding, "Since the PPP has already expressed remorse over past abuses of martial law, it appears there will likewise be no objection to preventing such disruption of state affairs from ever happening again."
President Lee added, "The strengthening of local autonomy is also an area where there is no disagreement and little chance of conflicting interests." He went on, "On these issues, where all political forces have clearly expressed their agreement, it should be entirely possible to hold a constitutional amendment vote at the same time as the upcoming local elections." Calling for bipartisan cooperation, he urged, "Do not calculate gains and losses or make purely tactical judgments; the future of the nation and the lives of our people are far more important. I ask you to persuade, compromise, and debate so that an agreement can be reached wherever possible."
west@fnnews.com Seong Seok-woo Reporter