Constitution change in S Korea proposed

The speaker of South Korea's parliament yesterday proposed revising the constitution to curb presidential powers, citing public support for such a move after President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted for declaring martial law.

"I would like to propose to the people that we should now quickly pursue constitutional revision," Woo Won-shik, the National Assembly speaker, told a press conference.

"After going through the unconstitutional and illegal martial law and [then Yoon's] impeachment, the public consensus on the urgency of constitutional revision is greater than ever."

He proposed a national referendum on constitutional reform to coincide with the presidential election that must be held within two months of Yoon's ouster on Friday by the nation's Constitutional Court.

In other news, a helicopter crashed during an operation to extinguish a fire in southeastern South Korea yesterday, killing its pilot, the local fire agency said.

A local fire office said that the fire at the hill in the city of Daegu had been put out about one hour after it had broken out.

The identity of the pilot and the cause of the crash were not immediately known.

REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS