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3w ago

Lee Moves to Restore Constitution Day and Advance Citizen-Centered Constitutional Amendment

The administration’s review will examine economic impacts alongside social considerations tied to Lee’s broader democratic reform agenda.

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides and secretaries held at the presidential office in Seoul on July 17, 2025. (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • President Lee instructed senior aides on July 17 to review reinstating Constitution Day as a public holiday after it was reclassified in 2008.
  • He said granting the day off would offer citizens an opportunity to reflect on popular sovereignty and the nation’s constitutional foundations.
  • Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition People Power Party have introduced fresh bills, bringing the total to 17 proposals seeking to restore the holiday.
  • Lee also pledged a citizen-centered constitutional amendment inspired by the 1980 Gwangju Uprising to expand fundamental rights, boost local autonomy and curb executive power.
  • The executive review and pending National Assembly bills represent a coordinated effort to elevate constitutional commemoration within South Korea’s democratic framework.