hankyoreh

The general meeting of Grand National Party lawmakers to discuss the issue of amending the Constitution [to create a two-term presidential system] has reportedly been pushed back from its originally scheduled date on Tuesday until after the Lunar New Year holiday. The ostensible reasons for this include the ranging foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, as well as the overseas business activity of a number of lawmakers. In reality, however, this is simply an effort to buy time now that the amendment debate has lost so much steam that it is difficult to meet a quorum for the meeting. The proposed amendment would adopt a two-term four-year presidency similar to the United States to replace South Korea’s current single-term, five-year system.
The common wisdom at the present time is that amending the Constitution is neither appropriate nor feasible. Not only have the proponents failed to gain agreement from the opposition, but there is not even a consensus within the GNP. Most crucially, the reaction from South Koreans has been decidedly chilly. One public opinion poll showed less than 10 percent of citizens agreeing with the establishment of a “decentralized presidential system,” as members of the Lee Myung-bak faction in the GNP have been calling for. It is for this reason that some are noting the close resemblance between the current amendment debate and the situation with the revisions to the Sejong City Development Plan. They are nearly identical in terms of the lack of popular support, the scant level of feasibility, and the intense opposition within the GNP between Lee’s supporters and those of Park Geun-hye.
Under these circumstances, some analysts have suggested that the real goal of the amendment debate is to establish unity in the pro-Lee faction and strengthen the political position of certain individuals. In other words, the amendment issue is merely a prop, with other political motivations. In particular, suspicious has settled around Minister for Special Affairs Lee Jae-oh, who has adopted the mantle of “evangelist for amendment of the Constitution.” Indeed, a debate held yesterday afternoon at Seoul’s Sejong Center for the Performing Arts under Lee’s leadership looked less like a simple debate and more like an event to rally political forces. Lee did his utmost to justify an amendment, making out-of-the-blue statements about how “we need to amendment the Constitution for the sake of an upright and fair society.”
The shadow of President Lee also lurks behind the push for an amendment led by his supporters in the GNP. Outwardly, the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) has emphasized that amendment “is an issue to be discussed by the National Assembly,” but many politicians suspect that it is lending its support to the activities of the pro-Lee camp. Certainly, the weight being lent to Lee Jae-oh’s drive for amendment would be impossible without the unseen support of the president.
This situation, in which the Constitution is used for the political benefit of certain factions and the people of South Korea are thrust into chaos, must not be allowed to continue. It is time now to abandon for good the argument for amendment of the Constitution, which is neither justifiable nor feasible. As a first step, the right thing to do would be to completely call off the general GNP lawmakers’ meeting that was pushed back until after the Lunar New Year holiday. It is an embarrassment to see them deceiving the people, deceiving the members of the GNP, and even deceiving themselves.
　　
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]