Seats of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers remain empty during a plenary session of the National Assembly, Thursday, after a constitutional amendment bill was introduced. The PPP boycotted the session, arguing that the amendment proposal, introduced ahead of the June 3 local elections, is politically motivated. Yonhap

A constitutional revision aimed at tightening conditions for declaring martial law has fallen through as the conservative People Power Party (PPP) boycotted a parliamentary vote, claiming the amendment bill was politically motivated.

The National Assembly on Thursday voted on a constitutional amendment package for the first time in 39 years, with a plan to hold a national referendum for the revision alongside the June 3 local elections.

The proposed amendment, jointly introduced by six parties excluding the PPP, included provisions requiring parliamentary approval for a presidential declaration of martial law and strengthening the Assembly’s authority to lift martial law.

The amendment also added references to the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising of 1979 and the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising of 1980 to the Constitution’s preamble.

The revision package also included calls for balanced regional development.

For passage, the bill required approval by more than 191 sitting lawmakers, or two-thirds of all 286. However, the PPP, which holds 107 seats, did not participate in the voting, effectively preventing the bill from gaining 191 votes. It denounced the proposal as a rushed and politically motivated revision tied to the upcoming local elections.

The amendment was drafted in the aftermath of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial martial law declaration of December 2024, with supporters arguing that stronger constitutional safeguards are needed to prevent abuses of executive power.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik made a last-minute appeal to PPP lawmakers to participate in the vote, saying the core of the amendment was to “substantially strengthen the National Assembly’s authority to control emergency martial law.”

“We painfully experienced through the martial law declaration of Dec. 3, 2024, how seriously democracy and constitutional order can be threatened,” Woo said during a meeting with rival party members ahead of the plenary session.

Source: Korea Times News