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The National Assembly has formed a special committee for constitutional revision consisting of 36 lawmakers. This is the first time the Assembly has established such a committee since 1987.
The need for a constitutional revision to change the current five-year, single-term presidency is recognized by many Koreans, as seen in a recent survey which showed more than 50 percent of respondents said a revision was necessary.
An overconcentration of power, one of the side effects of the current system, has been blamed as the root cause of the corruption that resulted in several derailed presidencies, including Park Geun-hye's who was impeached on Dec. 9 by the National Assembly.
The committee should aim to usher in an age of effective governance and do away with an outdated system that allows an "emperor-like" president to exercise unbridled power.
Despite the establishment of the committee, it is uncertain whether the discussion for a constitutional amendment will move forward because the parties taking part in the committee differ on the details of the revision.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea's frontrunner Moon Jae-in is not forthcoming about a swift revision, while the ruling Saenuri Party, the People's Party and a new party formed by defectors from the ruling party want to proceed immediately.
Presidential hopefuls should stop weighing how the constitutional revision will affect their own futures. Rather, they should perceive the issue from a long-term perspective and produce fruitful ideas to update the Constitution to reflect the changes Korea has experienced in the last 30 years.
The Assembly committee members should put their political differences aside and engage in productive discussions on the timeline and content of the revision to produce an amendment roadmap based on the people's consensus.
