Seoul: The Cabinet approved a motion Monday to amend certain texts in the Constitution, paving the way for the National Assembly to vote on the proposed changes. If lawmakers pass the amendment, it will be subject to a national referendum.

According to Yonhap News Agency, this initiative follows the joint proposal by 187 lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party and five minor parties last Friday. The bill aims to tighten the requirements for declaring martial law and embed the essence of past pro-democracy movements within the Constitution. Notably, the main opposition People Power Party has not supported this move.

With the Cabinet's endorsement, President Lee Jae Myung is tasked with issuing a public notice of the proposed amendment for a minimum of 20 days, allowing citizens to review it. The National Assembly is then mandated to vote on the bill within 60 days of the public notice, needing a two-thirds majority to pass.

Should the bill secure approval between May 4-10, a national referendum could coincide with the June 3 local elections. For the amendment to become final, it requires both a majority turnout and majority approval in the referendum.

The proposal seeks to include the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju and the 1979 Busan-Masan pro-democracy protests in the preamble. Currently, the Constitution mentions the spirit of the April 19 revolution in 1960, which led to the overthrow of South Korea's first president, Rhee Syng-man, due to election fraud.

Additionally, the bill aims to strengthen the requirements for declaring martial law, mandating the president to secure parliamentary approval promptly. It further stipulates that if the National Assembly rejects the declaration or fails to act within 48 hours, the martial law will be immediately nullified.

President Lee has shown support for a gradual, step-by-step amendment to the Constitution, which was last revised in 1987, to more accurately reflect societal changes.