Rival parties to hold negotiations on Constitutional amendment

South Korea's rival political parties will hold talks from today as they aim to craft a proposal on amending the nation's Constitution.
However, concerns linger over the possibility of striking a deal -- as parties remain deeply divided on the breadth of changes that need to be made.
Kim Min-ji reports.

The floor leaders from the country's three major parties are rolling up their sleeves for earnest negotiations from Tuesday to craft a proposal on amending the Constitution.
They agreed to make concrete efforts a day earlier -- after President Moon Jae-in submitted his own proposal -- adding extra pressure on the National Assembly for its lack of urgency on the matter.
The three parties will discuss the most contentious areas -- the power structure, electoral system, reform of power organs and timing of a referendum.

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea says it's willing to engage in in-depth discussions with the opposition -- adding that now is the time for the rival parties to put aside their political interests and think only of the people when crafting a proposal.
The party also stressed that it's the people's wish to hold a referendum alongside local elections -- and that if they lose this opportunity public interest in the matter could wane.

However, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party remains strongly against holding a referendum in tandem with the local elections in June-- saying the government and ruling bloc is seeking to foster a favorable environment to win votes.
The conservative party also said it will cooperate with other opposition parties in order to change the presidential system to give more authority to a prime minister.

The centrist Bareun Mirae Party said that while it would be best to hold a referendum in June -- the content of the amendment is more important than the timing.
It also noted that the core of the revision should be changing the power structure to reduce the president's massive powers -- calling on the ruling and main opposition parties to take a responsible stance in negotiations.

Should the parties fail to reach a consensus on a proposal of their own -- they will have to put the president's proposal up for vote in late May.
But for it to take effect,... it requires two-thirds backing from the country's 293 lawmakers -- and a majority approval in a referendum.
Eyes will be on the National Assembly over the next month to see whether they can strike a last-minute deal on a proposal of their own.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.