Published : Feb. 22, 2018 - 10:36
President Moon Jae-in on Thursday called for efforts to come up with what he called a people-oriented constitutional revision, noting that there will never be a perfect solution that can satisfy everyone.
The call came during a lunch meeting with some 80 members of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning, which was recently tasked with devising a government bill for a constitutional revision.
"In every start, process and completion of all policy tasks, the people must always be at the center of such efforts. Especially in amending the Constitution, the people must be at the center," the president told the meeting at his office Cheong Wa Dae.
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with members of the presidential policy planning commission at his office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Feb. 22, 2018. (Yonhap)
"It must be a constitutional revision that respects the will and intention of the people," he added, according to Cheong Wa Dae pool reports.
Moon reportedly noted that no single proposal will ever be perfect and meet every need of every person, saying the commission must aim for the second best goal of reflecting the wishes and hopes of as many people as possible.
"Time is short, but I ask you to come up with a people's amendment bill by listening to the opinions of as many people as you can," he said. "Anyone can dream of an ideal change. But no one can make it perfect on the first try. More than anything, it must be something that most people can relate and agree to."
The ongoing efforts to come up with a government proposal for the envisioned constitutional change came by way of a direct instruction from the president, who earlier cited a need to put an amendment to a national vote concurrently with the local elections slated for June 13.
The president said he and his government will still put a parliamentary bill before their own but that the National Assembly will need to come up with a proposal before the end of March to meet the June timeline.
Parliamentary discussions have stalled due to large differences between the ruling and main opposition parties.
Moon insists a failure to put a constitutional amendment to a vote during the local elections will cost the nation an additional 120 billion won ($110.9 million). The Korean Constitution was last amended in 1987.(Yonhap)