Ruling Party: “High Chance the Constitutional Amendment Will Be Passed on May 7”

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\r\n[The Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) stated on April 6 that the constitutional amendment bill submitted by parties other than the People Power Party (PPP) is expected to be put to a vote and passed at the National Assembly plenary session on May 7.
Kim Hyun-jung, a DPK spokesperson for the parliamentary caucus, told reporters after a general meeting of lawmakers that day, "The constitutional amendment has been proposed in the names of 187 lawmakers and was approved by the State Council of South Korea, and it will be publicly announced for 20 days. There is a high possibility that it will be passed at the National Assembly plenary session on May 7."
Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik and six parties — the DPK, the Rebuilding Korea Party, the Progressive Party, the Reform Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party — jointly introduced the amendment on April 3. For the amendment to clear the plenary session, at least nine lawmakers from the PPP would need to break ranks and vote in favor. The amendment currently has 187 supporting votes from its co-sponsoring lawmakers, but the required number of votes for passage is 197, which is two-thirds of the 295 sitting members.
Key elements of the proposed amendment include: changing the title of the Constitution to use the Chinese-character notation "Constitution of the Republic of Korea"; explicitly mentioning the Busan–Masan Uprising and the Gwangju Uprising in the preamble; granting the National Assembly the authority to approve any declaration of martial law by the president; and stipulating the state's obligation to promote balanced regional development.
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uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yoon-ho Reporter