Woo Won-shik Moves to Keep Constitutional Revision Momentum Alive

A constitutional amendment bill for a referendum to be held alongside the June local elections, jointly pushed by Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-shik and six parliamentary parties including the Democratic Party of Korea, is scheduled to go to the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 7th of next month. However, it is facing the risk of collapse as the People Power Party maintains its opposition. Even within the ruling bloc, there are growing expectations that constitutional revision will be pushed again after the June local elections. Against that backdrop, Woo is reportedly preparing a key message aimed at winning the People Power Party's cooperation.
The Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly announced on the 26th that Woo will hold a press conference on the 27th. With the vote on the amendment bill just over a week away, the office said the main message is expected to be a call for the People Power Party to cooperate.
The question is what message he will deliver. Woo has already repeatedly urged the People Power Party, both in public and through the media, to take part in the vote on the amendment bill. Because the party has decided as a policy line to oppose constitutional revision, even lawmakers who are somewhat sympathetic to the idea have been reluctant to act. Woo has also called for the party to abandon that line and switch to a free vote.
Even so, the People Power Party remains unmoved. One parliamentary official said, "We believe it is not appropriate to pursue constitutional revision in an extreme minority-government, majority-opposition situation, and there is no room for our position to change." The official added, "We are even considering not attending the plenary session of the National Assembly at all."
Woo is therefore said to be considering a stronger message that would pressure the People Power Party to participate in the vote, at least. He has already held sufficient individual contact with the party leadership and its lawmakers.
Within the ruling bloc, there are also discussions about continuing to convene the plenary session of the National Assembly until the People Power Party participates and the vote on the amendment bill can be held. Since a vote cannot proceed if the People Power Party boycotts it, the idea is to keep the session open until voting takes place starting on May 7.