The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) said Wednesday that it will open official discussions on a constitutional revision at its general meeting slated for late this month, as arguments for and against the matter have heated up within the party.
GNP floor leader Kim Moo-sung decided to put the issue on the agenda of the upcoming meeting at the request of the party's chairman Ahn Sang-soo, spokesman Ahn Hyoung-hwan said in a briefing.
The Constitution limits a president to a single five-year term to prevent long-term rule by one leader. Advocates of the revision say the limit creates a presidential "lame duck" syndrome in which the president's authority weakens in the latter half of the term as the power center shifts to the next administration.
Lawmakers who support President Lee Myung-bak have raised the need to amend the Constitution, last revised in 1987, while others from the party's major faction, led by supporters of former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye, opposed the amendment.
On Tuesday, chairman Ahn said his party will push forward negotiations in the new year to revise the Constitution in a meeting with Lee Hoi-chang, chairman of the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has refused to discuss the issue with the GNP, claiming that the ruling party is trying to shift the parliamentary agenda to constitutional amendment.
"The ruling party says the constitutional amendment is aiming for balance of power. They should discuss power division after giving parliament the proper authority," said DP Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu, citing the fact that GNP rammed through the 2011 budget bill last month and President Lee appointed former chief presidential secretary Chung Tong-ki as the new chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection in a Cabinet reshuffle last week,
Sohn also said that the political circle should focus on solving urgent issues, including the foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks throughout the nation, rather than discussing constitutional revision.
Leaders of the DP and three minor opposition parties -- the Democratic Labor Party, Creative Korea Party and the New Progressive Party -- criticized the ruling party and the incumbent government for railroading the bills and demanded their apology.