The Constitution of the Republic of Korea, established in 1948, serves as the bastion of democracy and the foundation for freedom and prosperity, having weathered national crises. However, the constitutional amendment bill, jointly proposed on April 3, 2026, by a total of 187 lawmakers from six parties (Democratic Party of Korea, Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Reform Party, Progressive Party, Social Democratic Party, Basic Income Party) and independents, is merely an extension of an old "constitutional amendment cartel" seeking to destroy national identity and privatize power under the guise of democratization.

If a cartel is a closed community that colludes for private gain, the "constitutional amendment cartel" formed around 1987 is a group that usurps sovereignty and power by confining national sovereignty within the confines of the National Assembly and dividing power amongst themselves.

The constitutional amendment cartel attempting systemic change is not progress for democracy, but a regression and treason that attempts totalitarianism by isolating power from the direct control of the sovereign. It is a political villainy solely focused on how to divide and distribute power for long-term rule, neglecting the livelihoods of the people.

We aim to reveal the dangerous reality of the constitutional amendment cartel's past attempts and the current proposed amendment, which seeks to overturn Article 1, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea: "The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people, and all state authority shall emanate from the people."

1. The Gradual and Persistent Systemic Change Efforts of the Constitutional Amendment Cartel

The discourse on constitutional amendment in Korea has consistently attempted a three-stage systemic change, creating its own justifications along the way.

△Stage 1: Efforts to Distribute Power and Push for a Cabinet System (1987-2016)

Following the direct presidential election in 1987, the political establishment paradoxically began to call for the "abolition of the imperial presidency." This marked the beginning of a "power-sharing cabinet cartel" aiming to weaken the president elected by the people and allow National Assembly members to share in power through a cabinet or semi-presidential system. The cabinet system amendment cartel, promoted during the DJP alliance in 1997, prioritized political collusion over national governance efficiency and, though not dead, continues to harbor secret aspirations for realization by changing its form whenever an opportunity arises.

△Stage 2: Undermining National Identity through Attempts at Federalist Amendment (2017-2021)

The Moon Jae-in administration's 2018 constitutional amendment proposal attempted to shake the nation's legal foundations by proposing to delete the word "free" and declaring a "decentralized state." The "ideological cartel" reached its peak in its attempts to neutralize Article 3 (Territory) and Article 4 (principle of peaceful unification based on free democratic order) of the Constitution and build a forward base for a "federal system," but this was quickly exposed and halted due to the attempt to remove the word "free."

△Stage 3: System Subversion and Perpetuation of Political Cartels (Present)

The current 2026 constitutional amendment bill is an integrated version of the previous two stages. Beyond simple institutional revisions, it represents the culmination of irresponsible politics by inserting specific political events into the preamble, attributing security powers such as martial law to the National Assembly, and indiscriminately transferring legislative and fiscal powers to local governments. It seeks to complete a "national dissolution scenario" by including it in the June 3 local elections without sufficient deliberation.

2. Revising the Preamble is the Privatization of the Constitution through "Entrenching Specific History"

The current amendment bill seeks to include events like the Pusan-Masan Uprising and the May 18 Democratic Uprising in the preamble of the Constitution. This is an "usurpation of history" aimed at solidifying the political legitimacy of a specific faction within the Constitution under the pretext of inheriting democracy. It appears to be a dangerous attempt to negate President Park Chung-hee based on the Pusan-Masan Uprising and to negate President Chun Doo-hwan and subsequent liberal governments after the Fifth Republic based on the May 18 Uprising.

The preamble of the Constitution should contain universal values of the nation. The moment events that are still subject to academic debate and historical evaluation are inserted into the Constitution, the Constitution becomes the exclusive property of a particular faction. This will lead to a "ragged constitution" as the preamble is rewritten with each change of government and will become a tool for perpetual division, categorizing citizens into "constitutional allies" and "constitutional enemies."

3. Immediate Repeal of the Constitutional Amendment Bill that Causes Self-Harm through Neutralizing National Defense Command Authority

The most dangerous conspiracy of the constitutional amendment cartel is the dismantling of the security system. This constitutional amendment bill drastically limits the conditions under which the President can declare martial law and stipulates that it will be immediately lifted if not approved by the National Assembly within 72 hours of its declaration. This is a highly legislative dictatorial idea aiming for the National Assembly to control not only the military command but also executive power.

In Korea, the world's only divided nation, the immediate decision-making of the commander-in-chief during a national emergency is the last resort to protect the lives of citizens. In the context of rapidly changing international dynamics since 2024 and escalating provocations from North Korea, causing the loss of "golden time" while waiting for the National Assembly's approval is an act of intentional destruction of the security system. This is tantamount to tying the nation's hands in case of an emergency and surrendering it to the enemy.

4. The Pursuit of a Decentralized Constitutional Amendment is "Irresponsible Politics" and the Perpetuation of the Political Cartel

The attempt to stipulate the nation's obligation to resolve regional disparities and achieve "balanced development" and "decentralization" in the Constitution through this amendment bill is an attempt to gain control down to the village level by promoting decentralization without substantial self-sufficiency. This will undermine the foundation of people's livelihoods and the structure of the nation by isolating power from public control, inciting populism with the vague value of "equal life," and creating a structure where no one takes responsibility even if national competitiveness declines.

In particular, "anonymous politics," augmented by elements of a cabinet system, justifies the shifting of blame between parties in case of policy failure or security crises. In a structure where responsibility cannot be assigned to the commander-in-chief directly elected by the people, National Assembly members will create governments detached from public sentiment through secret collusion. This paralyzes the judgment function of the people, which is the core of representative democracy, and merely allows the political cartel to continuously rotate power and solidify "their own long-term league."

The Constitution is not a contract to divide the pie of power, but a lifeline that sets the nation's direction and guarantees the basic rights of our citizens. The only solution to cut off the conspiracies and harms of the constitutional amendment cartel, which dreams of subverting the system through the trick of amending a few articles, is direct checks and struggles by vigilant citizens.

We must crush the deceptive machinations that seek to change the system by fragmenting power and concealing responsibility, and restore true responsible politics where the voice of the people is fully reflected in national affairs.

In order to protect the legal lineage of free Korea and pass on a free and prosperous Republic of Korea to our descendants, we must all awaken and unite in the path of eradicating the secret collusion and political villainy of the constitutional amendment cartel and defending the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea. The People Power Party must fight with their lives to block the parliamentary vote scheduled for May 7.

◆ Park Pil-gyu, Committee Member

Editor, The Korea-US Alliance Daily

40th graduating class, Korea Military Academy