According to Reuters, speaking at a press conference, Mr. Woo Won-shik said: "I want to propose to the people that we should quickly promote the amendment of the constitution. After going through unconstitutional and illegal martial law and President Yoon's impeachment, public consensus on the urgency of constitutional reform has never been as strong as it is now.
Woo Won-shik proposed holding a consultation on constitutional reform to coincide with the presidential election, which must take place within two months of Yoon being impeached by the Constitutional Court on April 4.
The Constitutional Court supported the National Assembly's impeachment decision against President Yoon, who declared a brief martial law on December 3, causing the worst political crisis in South Korea in decades.
According to Mr. Woo, although the court's ruling ended the national chaos, the risk of serious political conflict related to presidential power still exists. He said many South Koreans want to end the imperial president model, which is seen as the cause of profound political conflicts.
Gallup Korea's survey results last month showed that 54% of people approved of amending the constitution to reform the presidential system, while 30% said it was unnecessary.
For his part, Mr. Yoon said on April 6 that even after leaving office, he would always stand side by side with his supporters, who fought for freedom and defended sovereignty.
Acting President Han Duck-soo and the election committee are considering June 3 as the time to hold a new election, according to information from the committee.
The last revised South Korean constitution in 1987 allowed direct presidential election and limited the presidency to just one five-year term. In recent years, presidential candidates from many parties have expressed support for the amendment to allow the president to serve two 4-year terms, but there have been no concrete steps after each election.
Mr. Yoon's ruling People's Power Party is reviewing the possibility of amendments and some presidential candidates of this party have proposed banning the president from holding office for more than 2 terms of 4 years.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party and leading candidate to replace Yoon, also mentioned the idea.
