Lee renews constitutional revision push, urging lawmakers to honor democracy’s bloody history
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President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung observe a moment of silence during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising at Busan City Hall, Friday. Joint Press Corps
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday called for the spirit of Korea’s landmark pro-democracy uprisings to be enshrined in the Constitution, describing it as “the least we can do to ensure we never forget our people’s sacrifices to defend democracy and national sovereignty.”
Speaking at Busan City Hall during a ceremony marking the 47th anniversary of the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising, Lee renewed his push for constitutional revision and urged the National Assembly to begin discussions without further delay.
The Busan-Masan Uprising was a series of demonstrations that began Oct. 16, 1979 and lasted five days, as students and citizens in the southeastern cities of Busan and Masan — the latter now part of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province — rose up against then-President Park Chung-hee’s dictatorial regime.
“The Busan-Masan Uprising did more than bring an end to a dictatorship,” he said, tracing its legacy through subsequent pro-democracy movements, including the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, the June Democratic Uprising of 1987 and protests against the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The call came a day after Lee again dismissed on X claims that his push for constitutional revision was intended to allow him to seek another term.
“Haven’t both ruling and opposition parties repeatedly spoken with one voice about including the spirit of the Gwangju Uprising and the Busan-Masan Uprising in the constitutional preamble?” Lee said.
“Now is the time to turn those words into action … I urge the National Assembly to promptly gather public opinion and hold reasoned discussions on constitutional revision.”
During his speech, the president grew tearful as he closed his address, pausing after referring to those who devoted their lives to democracy.
His voice trembling, Lee expressed respect and gratitude to uprising participants and bereaved families.
The uprising’s anniversary became a national commemorative day in 2019. Lee was the second sitting president to attend the commemoration, following Moon Jae-in, who attended the first government-organized ceremony at Kyungnam University in Changwon in 2019.
