더불어 민주당

Drain the “Choi Soon-sil Gate” Swamp to Save Yourself from Lame Duck. Any Constitutional Revision Should Be Led By the Public.

President Park Geun-hye, on Monday, called for constitutional revision during her speech to parliament, and said her government would launch an organization to create a draft revision.

President Park has repeatedly opposed discussing a possible amendment stressing that it would only create a political “black hole”; however, all of a sudden, now she is trying to package constitutional revision with a “save-the-country” wrapping paper.

Right before her speech to parliament, when she was having a tea time with both the ruling party and opposition party leaders, President Park neither said nor did anything about constitutional revision - it was tightly kept under her hat. Her abrupt proposal about constitutional revision even reminded us of the October Revitalizing Reforms.

It doesn’t take a scholar to know that the President Park has brought up the issue of constitutional revamp to cover up the burgeoning corruption allegations that being labeled “Choi Soon-sil Gate”, revolving around a woman known to be Park’s thicker-than-blood acquaintance, and who is a daughter of the late religious figure Choi Tae-min, who had close personal ties with President Park for a long time and have spawned uncomfortable rumors.

We, Democratic Party of Korea, flatly reject President Park’s call for constitutional revision. The truth behind “Choi Soon-sil Gate”, a set of corruption allegations, should be first and foremost verified. And a sincere and respectful apology followed by an explanation needs to be made by President Park. This is what President Park must to do urgently before proposing constitutional revision.

Sadly, we see President Park in the Emperor in Hans Christian Andersen’s short tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. President Park, unfortunately, seems to be unqualified to bring up constitutional revision issue.

We, Democratic Party of Korea, have put forth a multilateral effort into examining and reviewing the contents item by item regarding constitutional revision.

We will form a research panel on the amendment and push parliamentary discussions on the issue in a “step-by-step” fashion.

First, the people should be at the center of this constitution revision gravity, so the constitution revision can gain its democratic validity - of the people, by the people, for the people.  

Second, we strongly demand that President Park and Cheong Wa Dae keep away from the discussions. President Park and Cheong Wa Dae should concentrate their power to stabilize of the people’s livelihood. They need to let the parliament be the main venue of debate and discussion. 

Third, constitutional reform must be accompanied by electoral reform that guarantees equivalence and reflects diversity in voting under the spirit of political reform and development.

Forth, constitutional revision should be future-oriented, and reunification-oriented that contains human rights, safety, environment, decentralization, and happiness of the people as its priority matters.

Any constitutional revision should be led by the public, not by the president who is in The Emperor’s New Clothes.

October 25, 2016

Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)

“최순실 게이트” 라는 이름의 늪에 물을 빼는 것이 레임덕으로부터 살 길이다. 개헌은 국민이 주도해야 한다.

박근혜 대통령은 어제 국회 시정연설에서 개헌을 발표하고 정부가 완수하겠다고 전격 발표 하였다.

박 대통령은 정치적인 블랙홀이라는 이유로 개헌에 줄 곧 반대해 오다가, 이제 와서 갑자기 개헌에 “구국” 이라는 포장지를 씌우려 하고 있다.

박 대통령은 발표 직전 여야지도부와 차를 마시며 환담을 나눌 때도 개헌 관련 일언반구 설명도 없었다. 아무런 설명도 없이 보안을 지키던 박대통령의 갑작스런 개헌발표는 마치 10월 유신을 연상케 하였다.

박 대통령이 최순실 게이트를 둘러싼 부패 의혹을 덮기 위해 개헌을 꺼냈다는 것은 누구라도 생각할 수 있는 것이다. 최순실은 박 대통령과 피 보다 진한 측근이자, 오래 전부터 박대통령과 인연을 맺고 많은 루머를 낳고 있는 최태민이라는 종교 지도자의 딸이다.

우리는 박 대통령의 개헌을 정면으로 거부한다. “최순실 게이트” 뒤에 숨은 부패관련 사실들이 먼저 밝혀져야 한다. 그리고, 박 대통령의 진실되고 국민을 존중하는 마음에서 우러나온 사과와 해명을 하는 것이, 개헌 논의 이전에 박대통령이 해야 할 일이다.

슬프게도, 앤더슨의 동화 “벌거벗은 임금님” 속 임금님에서 박 대통령의 모습이 보인다. 불행하게도, 박 대통령은 개헌 이슈를 말 할 자격이 없는 것 같다.

우리 민주당은 개헌에 관하여 다각적으로 검토하고 논의해 왔다.

우리 당은 자문회의를 구성하고, 개헌이 국회에서 “단계적으로” 논의 되도록 할 것이다. 우선 국민이 개헌의 중심에 있도록 해야 한다. 그리하여 개헌이 민주적인 가치, 즉 국민에 의한, 국민의, 국민에 의한, 국민을 위한 개헌의 가치를 가질 수 있도록 해야 한다.

또한, 우리는 박 대통령과 청와대가 개헌 논의에서 빠지고, 민생 살리기에 전념할 것을 강력하게 요구한다. 대통령은 개헌 논의의 주된 장이 국회가 되도록 해야 할 것이다.

개헌이 정치개혁과 정치발전의 정신을 살리기 위해서는 표의 등가성과 다양성을 보장하는 선거구제 개혁이 함께 수반되어야 한다.

그리고 개헌은 인권, 안전, 환경, 분권, 그리고 국민의 행복 등의 가치를 우선적으로 담는 미래지향적이고 통일지향적인 개헌이 되어야 한다.

개헌은 국민이 주도해야 하는 것이지, 벌거벗은 임금님 속의 대통령이 주도해서는 안 될 것이다.

2016년 10월 25일

더불어민주당