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People Power Party Boycott Blocks Martial-Law Curb in Assembly

The boycott leaves the proposal short of the two-thirds needed to send it to a June 3 referendum.

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The National Assembly holds a plenary session to vote on a ruling party-led bill on a constitutional amendment amid a boycott from the main opposition party in Seoul on May 7, 2026. (Yonhap)
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President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 6, 2026. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • The National Assembly failed to pass a Democratic Party–led constitutional amendment after People Power Party lawmakers refused to take part in the vote.
  • The proposal would require lawmakers to approve any presidential martial-law declaration and would void it if approval is denied or not granted within 48 hours.
  • Passage needs 191 of the 286 sitting members, which meant at least about a dozen PPP defections, yet only three PPP lawmakers publicly backed the plan and party leaders opposed it.
  • Leaders can try another vote, but pairing a national referendum with the June 3 local elections will likely require swift parliamentary approval.
  • Drafted after former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief Dec. 3, 2024 martial-law move, the package also seeks to add the May 18 Gwangju and 1979 Busan–Masan movements to the Constitution and to write in duties to cut regional gaps and strengthen local autonomy.