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SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to pushing for a constitutional revision, vowing to form a bipartisan special parliamentary committee to bring discussions into full swing next year.

The speaker made the remarks during his first press conference since taking office last month, renewing his push for the long-debated issue of constitutional revision.

"We will form a special parliamentary committee on constitutional reform through bipartisan consultations to put discussions on constitutional reform on track next year," he said. "As I proposed on the recent Constitution Day, I will push forward with the constitutional amendment calmly and boldly."

In his address on July 17, Cho said he will seek to draw up a constitutional revision proposal next year and complete the constitutional amendment before the current Assembly's term ends in 2028.

The proposed revision would include restrictions on the president's authority to declare martial law, as well as incorporating the spirit of the May 18 pro-democracy movement in 1980 in the preamble to the Constitution and an overhaul of the election management system.

Cho vowed to designate Dec. 3 as a day of people's sovereignty to mark the anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law in 2024.

"We will designate Dec. 3, the day people defended the Constitution and democracy through their dedication, as the day of people's sovereignty," he said.

Cho also said he will seek ways to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula with patience at the parliamentary level.

"We will also seek a path toward peace with patience, instead of rushing to pursue 'inter-Korean parliamentary talks' that I proposed on Constitution Day," he said.

Cho earlier urged North Korea to respond to calls for dialogue on humanitarian aid and reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, saying Seoul was willing to meet with North Korea "anytime, anywhere without preconditions."

The speaker suggested the possibility that the incumbent president may be eligible to seek another term under a revised Constitution.

The issue of whether the incumbent president should be eligible for another term under the revised Constitution is "ultimately the choice of the people," he said.

Article 128 of the Constitution currently stipulates that the extension of the presidential term shall not be effective for the president in office at the time the amendment is proposed.

During his election campaign, President Lee Jae Myung had called for an amendment to the Constitution that would allow a president to serve two four-year terms. Currently, presidents are limited to a single five-year term.

Lee had dismissed claims that he was only seeking to extend his term in case he was elected, saying he would not be eligible for reelection even if elected, apparently referring to Article 128 of the Constitution.

julesyi@yna.co.kr

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