South Korea parliament drops constitutional amendment vote tied to martial law

Six political parties, including the ruling Democratic Party, proposed the bill, which would require the president to seek approval from parliament when declaring martial law, according to a draft posted on the National Assembly’s website.

The move came after South Korea was rocked by conservative former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in late 2024.

The draft specifies that if parliament votes against imposing martial law, or fails to approve it within 48 hours, the effectiveness of a president’s unilateral declaration of martial law would be nullified immediately.

The bill would also amend the constitution to include in its preamble a reference to a key moment in South Korea’s transition to democracy – the Gwangju uprising. Hundreds, and possibly thousands, are believed to have been killed when citizens rose up against military dictator Chun Doo-hwan on May 18, 1980.

Amending the constitution requires the consent of at least 191 lawmakers in the 286-member assembly, Woo said.

An earlier vote on the amendment failed on Thursday after the PPP boycotted the session, leaving it short of the quorum needed.

South Korea’s presidential office expressed regret that the constitutional amendment bill failed due to the PPP’s opposition and urged parliament to continue discussions on constitutional revision in the second half of its term.

(Reporting by Heejin Kim and Kyu-seok ShimEditing by Ed Davies)