Scholars want President to be given less power

By Lee Tae-hoon

Staff reporters

A group of scholars called for the government to push through an amendment to the Constitution, Friday, aimed at reducing presidential power.

In a conference at the National Assembly to mark the 62nd Constitution Day, they claimed that the direction of the revision should be aimed at decentralizing the power of the president.

Priority should be given to reaching a consensus through open discussions, they said.

Korea, which witnessed former President Roh Moo-hyun take his own life, should put an end to its outdated presidential system that produces lame duck presidents toward the end of their terms, and split the public into liberals and conservatives during presidential elections, professor Kim Chul-soo of Seoul National University(SNU) said.

He proposed that the country adopt a German-style parliamentary Cabinet system of government or one where the president distributes some of his authorities to the Cabinet and the National Assembly.

Seong Nak-in, another SNU professor, called for a new presidential system where the President shares power with the prime minister.

"Without changing the fundamental of the Constitution, Korea should seek to decentralize the highly concentrated power belonging to the president," Seong said.

He also said that Korea should consider changing its five-year, single-term presidency to a U.S.-style four-year one with the possibility of reelection.

On Thursday, Ahn Sang-soo, leader of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), urged the adoption of a decentralized presidential system, though some opposition lawmakers and potential candidates for the 2012 presidential poll, including former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye, are against curtailing presidential power.

As for Ahn's proposal, Park Ji-won, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), agreed on the need for constitutional change, saying he is willing to discuss the issue if the GNP shows sincerity on the matter.

"There are many lawmakers within the DP who support constitutional change," Park said. "Though it is a little too late to discuss it, the DP is willing to talk if the GNP is willing to debate it sincerely,"

Park said that President Lee Myung-bak should have pushed for this move in the first two years of his presidency, if he were not to use it for political leverage ahead of the 2012 National Assembly and presidential elections.

A survey of 286 lawmakers, carried out by a local daily, showed that 191, or 88 percent of them, agree on the need for constitutional change.