In his speech at the National Assembly on Feb. 7, Rep. Park Ki-choon said the president's strong powers are at the center of political conflicts.
A reduction of the "emperor-like president's power is the key to political overhaul," he said.
There have long been calls for an amendment to the Constitution to curtail the president's "too much power."
In South Korea, irregularities involving those close to the president have plagued almost all governments. Many attribute the outbreak of many scandals involving those who are close to the president to the country's "emperor-like" presidency.
The DUP leader asked for the establishment of a special National Assembly committee to discuss Constitutional change, and proposed that the ruling and opposition parties begin full-fledged talks on the issue.
He urged the president to participate in interparty efforts to realize what he called "political innovation," a prerequisite to the inception of "new politics."
South Korean lawmakers have been plagued by negative images as they frequently engage in physical clashes in parliament over the passage of disputed bills, use indecent language and sometimes resort to violence.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com