S. Korea’s ‘Thor’ Speaker pushing for constitutional reforms to avoid another martial law debacle

SEOUL – With months left in his term, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik is pressing for constitutional reforms to tighten the conditions under which a leader can declare emergency martial law, aimed at ensuring that such a political crisis can never recur.

The Speaker, who holds the second-highest office in South Korea after the president, is pushing for revisions to the country’s National Referendum Act, which stipulates procedures for constitutional amendments, so that a constitutional referendum can be held alongside the country’s local elections slated in June.

After former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law debacle of December 2024, which plunged the nation into months of political crisis, Mr Woo has been a strong proponent of amending South Korea’s Constitution to strengthen checks and balances and curb presidential powers.

The Speaker, whose two-year term ends in May, told The Straits Times in an e-mail interview, ahead of his visit to Singapore from Jan 18 to 21, that there is urgency in seeking the constitutional amendments, as public discourse may intensify after the first verdict of Yoon’s insurrection-related trials was delivered on Jan 16.

Yoon, who is facing a total of eight trials, was sentenced to five years in prison on Jan 16 on charges of obstruction of justice.

A separate insurrection charge, for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, is due for a verdict on Feb 19.  

Mr Woo had played an integral role in stabilising the nation following Yoon’s

shock martial law declaration on the night of Dec 3, 2024

.

He was propelled into the national spotlight after he was photographed scaling a gate in his rush to the National Assembly as lawmakers moved to overturn the martial law order.

The 68-year-old also

earned the nickname “Thor”

for holding the parliamentary gavel steady during the crisis, and was voted by South Koreans as the most trustworthy politician subsequently.

He was even seen as a potential presidential candidate to replace Yoon. Current President Lee Jae Myung eventually

won the June 2025 snap elections

in a landslide victory. 

On Jan 6, Mr Woo received the Baekbong Gentlemen Award for the second consecutive year, an honour for lawmakers deemed to have demonstrated integrity and exemplary conduct in their legislative work, as determined by a panel of South Korean political journalists.

Mr Woo told ST that he did not view the award so much as a recognition of his individual achievements, but “rather an honour bestowed upon me on behalf of all those who overcame the constitutional crisis”. 

He said Yoon’s martial law declaration was not just a matter of political judgment but “a grave act of national betrayal” that undermined the constitutional order.

“As head of the legislative branch, I regard the protection of the Constitution and democratic order as my foremost responsibility,” said Mr Woo.

The Speaker’s visit to Singapore is at the invitation of Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng. 

Through Mr Seah’s visit to South Korea in February 2025 and the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in July, the two Speakers had built up a “deep friendship”, said Mr Woo.

He is slated to visit Mr Seah’s constituency, and expressed interest in observing and experiencing “various aspects of Singapore’s economy and society, and to share legislative insights that can make a tangible contribution to improving the lives of people in both countries”.

He noted that 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of South Korea-Singapore diplomatic ties, which were

elevated to a strategic partnership level in November

, with both sides pledging deeper cooperation in areas such as politics, security and the economy. 

Mr Woo said he also hopes the visit will “serve as a turning point to further solidify the South Korea-Singapore strategic partnership at the parliamentary level and expand the horizon of practical cooperation”.

He will also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his three-day visit.