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Viewing cable 07SEOUL160, CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION TAKES SPOTLIGHT

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07SEOUL160 2007-01-19 02:25 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Seoul
VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUL #0160/01 0190225
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 190225Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY SEOUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2418
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1892
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1989
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUALSFJ/COMUSJAPAN YOKOTA AB JA
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J2 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA J5 SEOUL KOR
RHMFISS/COMUSKOREA SCJS SEOUL KOR
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//OSD/ISA/EAP//
C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 000160 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PIRN KS
SUBJECT: CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION TAKES SPOTLIGHT 
 
Classified By: POL M/C Joseph Y. Yun.  Reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: In a surprise statement last week President 
Roh proposed a constitutional revision to change the current 
single five-year presidential term to a renewable four-year 
term to synchronize the presidential and general elections. 
Roh said he would soon initiate a bill to revise the 
constitution for National Assembly approval.  If the revision 
receives two thirds support in the Assembly, a national 
referendum would be held.  Despite general support for the 
revision, most Koreans, disappointed with the Roh 
administration, think the revision should be handled by the 
next administration.  Many also question Roh's motivations 
for the proposal -- Roh's lack of popularity is such that 
people do not want to support any proposal if it is Roh's. 
End summary. 
 
Bill Unlikely to Pass 
--------------------- 
 
2.  (C) President Roh Moo-hyun announced in a televised press 
conference on January 9 his plan to pursue a constitutional 
change that would change the current single five-year 
presidential term to two four-year terms.  He asserted South 
Korea was democratically mature enough to prevent a 
recurrence of the personal long-term rule of the 1970s and 
1980s, the original intent of the 1987 amendment in limiting 
president's to a single five-year term.  Roh noted that this 
was a once in 20 year opportunity to synchronize the 
presidential and parliamentary elections, because the 
National Assembly elections take place every four years and 
the next ones are scheduled for April 2008, a few months 
after the December 2007 presidential elections.  The 
constitutional amendment process takes from 60-100 days from 
the day it is proposed to the National Assembly for 
discussion by either majority Assemblymen or by the 
president.  If approved by two-thirds of the Assembly within 
60 days, it has to gain a majority in a national referendum 
within 30 days of the National Assembly approval. 
 
3.  (C) In principle, all political parties and the public 
agree that the proposed constitutional amendment reflects a 
needed change.  At the same time, they also assert that the 
revision should wait until the next government.  The Grand 
National Party (GNP) is set firmly against the proposal and 
has demanded the revision be pursued by the next 
administration.  Minority parties and NGO's declared that 
they support the proposal but do not agree with President 
Roh's method and said with the election approaching, it was 
not the right time for the amendment.   In a show of 
disagreement with Roh's proposal, all National Assembly 
opposition leaders (GNP and minority parties) did not attend 
a Blue House lunch on January 11 to discuss the proposed 
amendment.  A leading political analyst, Professor Kang 
Won-taek, told poloff that it would be impossible for the 
bill to pass if the GNP opposes the amendment since the GNP 
holds 127 of the 299 Assembly seats. 
 
4.  (C) According to polls taken by all major local media 
outlets and research centers on January 9-10, people object 
to Roh's administration managing the change despite the fact 
they are not opposed to the idea of the revision.  Polls 
indicate those who support the proposed constitutional 
revision is slightly more than, or similar to, that of 
opponents (MBC-Korea Research showed that 51 percent of the 
people polled supported the constitutional revision against 
40 percent who opposed; and 43 percent supported the change 
versus 43.5 percent who were against the revision in a 
Hankyoreh-Research Plus survey).  In addition, far more 
respondents said they wanted to see the next government 
propose the revision.  According to a joint poll by MBC 
Research and Gallup, about 63 percent of those surveyed on 
January 10 said Roh's administration should not be the one to 
make the change.  In a poll by Korea Society Opinion 
Institute in February 2006, 45 percent of those surveyed said 
that the constitutional amendment should wait until the next 
president.  Moreover, in a January 9, 2007 KBS-Media Research 
survey only 14.3 percent of those surveyed believed that the 
revision was likely to happen in the Roh administration 
compared to 76.6 percent of who did not. 
 
Constitutional Revision Politically Motivated? 
--------------------------------------------- - 
5.  (C) Suspicions about President Roh's timing of the 
proposed constitutional revision have been looming since the 
proposal was first announced.  According to an Uri Party 
official, the media was shocked by the announcement as there 
was no advance notice given Roh even late the night before in 
an informal meeting he had with progressive media.  Pundits 
and government officials opposed to the revision offered 
three explanations for the proposal's timing: first, 
influence the 2007 presidential elections; second, avert the 
lame duck status in the face of increasing attacks from 
ruling and opposition lawmakers; and third try to build some 
legacy for his largely failed administration.  Many argue 
that Roh is pursuing the amendment in an attempt to prove 
that he is still a political player and can affect the 
December presidential elections.  Some pundits have also 
claimed that President Roh, by steering attention away from 
the Uri party reshuffle and dominant GNP candidates, was 
trying to buy time to search for a viable Uri candidate. 
 
6.  (C) Some experts and national assembly members have 
alleged that Roh is seeking to prevent or delay a probable 
Uri Party break-up -- the Uri Party is expected to break up 
officially at the party's convention on February 14.  An Uri 
Party official pointed out the President made the proposal 
immediately after Representative Yeom Dong-youn resigned from 
the party.  Yeom was a close supporter of Roh and was also 
one of the founding members of the Uri Party.  Yeom's 
defection was the first significant sign that the ruling 
party could truly dissolve.  Roh may hope that a successful 
constitutional amendment would not only bring up his 
popularity but also attract more public support for the Uri 
Party. 
 
7.  (C) Park Sung-min, a leading political consultant, 
commented that whether Roh intended it or not, his proposal 
is likely to help him restore his political influence.  GNP 
Representative Park Jin lamented to poloff that however 
little chance the amendment had of success, Roh was proposing 
something that the GNP would have to oppose.  He added that 
this was the GNP dilemma -- the party should avoid being 
perceived as too conservative by blocking a good idea, but in 
this case, they must oppose the proposal. 
 
Hard-Core Roh Support 
--------------------- 
 
8.  (C) There are some Uri officials who welcome the revision 
and one Uri official told poloff that he believes President 
Roh's intentions were genuine.  The official noted that the 
constitutional revision is not a new concept, but rather a 
campaign pledge Roh made when running for office.  Roh has 
indicated he may consider withdrawing from the Uri Party if 
the opposition demands it as a precondition for passing the 
constitutional amendment but has denied any possibility of 
resigning before his term ends, in response to critics that 
have questioned his motives behind the proposal. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
9.  (C) The significance of the amendment proposal itself is 
minimal as it will almost certainly be blocked by the GNP. 
The announcement by Roh took focus off of the front-running 
GNP candidates and off of the woes of the Roh government. 
With a popularity rating of single digits, the lowest 
popularity rating ever for a Korean president, Roh is 
grasping for straws.  The amendment proposal appears to have 
run its course but until the political focus in Korea shifts 
100 percent to the presidential race, likely in July, Roh may 
try to shake up the political scene in Korea while he is 
still able. 
STANTON