The National Assembly announced Thursday that it will hold the 78th Constitution Day celebration at 10 a.m. Friday in the central hall of the National Assembly building, to commemorate the enactment of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea and reflect on its history and significance.
About 500 guests are expected to attend, including Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik, Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae, Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kim Sang-hwan, Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Kim Ho-cheol, former Assembly speakers, party leaders and floor leaders, lawmakers, senior officials from the legislative, judicial and executive branches, foreign diplomatic missions in Korea, members of the Constitutional Government Association, and bereaved families of the founding Assembly members.
The ceremony will also feature five citizens who have been unable to fully enjoy their basic rights due to blind spots in the current constitution and legal system. Their invitation is intended to underscore that constitutional reform is not merely a debate over restructuring the balance of power, but a matter of people's livelihoods — one that directly affects the fundamental rights of individual citizens.
The event will proceed under the slogan "People's Sovereignty, Opened by the Constitution." Commendation plaques will be presented to three former lawmakers who made significant contributions to the National Assembly and national development through their legislative work: former Rep. Jo Nam-jo (11th and 12th National Assembly), former Rep. Kim Jeong-suk (14th, 15th and 16th National Assembly), and former Rep. Kim Tae-rang (15th National Assembly). Former Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik will receive the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit.
In his congratulatory address, Speaker Jo is expected to stress the need for constitutional reform, saying, "The frameworks of the past cannot embrace today's human rights blind spots or tomorrow's social conflicts," and calling on the nation to "open a new era of transformation with a 'charter for all' that protects the dignity of every citizen."
The ceremony will also include a reading and seal-stamping performance of the founding constitution. Using AI technology, the 198 members of the founding National Assembly will be recreated and, together with incumbent lawmakers from the 22nd National Assembly's floor parties, will take turns reading the preamble and general provisions of the original constitution aloud before a stage performance in which the founding charter is stamped with an official seal.
bigroot@heraldcorp.com
