Latest news with #ConstitutionDay
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah Rep. Maloy proposes way to honor the nation's 250th birthday
WASHINGTON — Visitors could enjoy national parks for free on next year's Constitution Day to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary under a new proposal introduced by Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy this week. The Semiquincentennial Tourism and Access to Recreation Sites, or STARS Act, would direct the secretary of the Interior to designate Constitution Day as an 'entrance-fee free day' at all National Park Service sites next year. If passed, it would open the gates on Sept. 17, 2026, for all visitors to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States. 'How do you properly celebrate 250 years of freedom? Maybe the best way is to spend time in what Wallace Stegner called 'the best idea we ever had'— our national parks,' Maloy said in a statement. The bill would open access to more than 400 sites across the country, including national parks, battleground sites, monuments and other cultural landmarks. By waiving entrance fees, Maloy said it highlights the role of public lands in U.S. history and 'honors the legacy of freedom, resilience, and patriotism that began in 1776.' Constitution Day is a federal holiday marking the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, marking the day the delegates signed the document at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The holiday is observed every year to celebrate those who have become U.S. citizens. If passed, Maloy's proposal would join other mass efforts next year to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. President Donald Trump earlier this month launched America250, a campaign promise to celebrate the country's 250th birthday with a yearlong celebration. America250 began at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 3 and several states, including Utah, have ongoing events to mark the occasion.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee Jae Myung promises to back amendment to Constitution
On 77th Constitution Day, president asks secretaries to review redesignation as public holiday Marking the 77th anniversary of South Korea's Constitution on Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung expressed his commitment to a new amendment to the Constitution, stressing that it must be "citizen-centered." In a Facebook post, Lee said a newly amended Constitution, which would uphold the spirit of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in May 1980 and encompass the greater fundamental rights of each citizen, the greater local autonomy and the curtailment of power through reforms, "must be a compass to lead the way of South Korea." The liberal president also thanked the people for lawfully overcoming the political crisis that stemmed from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration in December. South Korea last amended the Constitution about four decades ago, effective in 1987. It was the ninth amendment in the country since its foundation on Aug. 15, 1948. Later on Thursday, Lee asked his secretaries to consider redesignating Constitution Day as a public holiday in a meeting he presided over at his office in Seoul. Nearly two decades after South Korea removed Constitution Day, which falls on July 17 each year, from the list of public holidays, lawmakers have pushed to designate the day as a full public holiday to shed light on the role of the Constitution in safeguarding democracy. Since Lee's inauguration on June 4, Reps. Kwak Sang-eon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party have each introduced revision bills aimed at adding Constitution Day to the list of public holidays, following its exclusion in 2008. Kwak and nine other lawmakers of three liberal parties proposed the redesignation on June 13, suggesting it could "boost the domestic economy and guarantee people's right to rest," and at the same time uphold the spirit of the Constitution. Kwak proposed a revision of the Act on Public Holidays to allow South Koreans to be granted the day off. Of the five national celebration days designated in South Korea, Constitution Day is the only one that is not also designated as a public holiday. On July 9, Kang and 10 other People Power Party members proposed a similar bill to revise the Act on Public Holidays, raising a need for Constitution Day to be redesignated. South Korea promulgated its first Constitution on July 17, 1949, and the day was designated as a holiday in 1950. The conservative Lee Myung-bak administration, however, delisted the day as a public holiday in 2008, amid calls to recover national productivity alongside the introduction of a five-day workweek in 2004. According to a recent report by the National Assembly Research Service, there have been 17 bills so far designed to reinstate Constitution Day as a public holiday since 2008. Constitution Day "holds great symbolic significance" in that a need to safeguard constitutional values has been in the limelight, and it therefore deserves to be redesignated as a public holiday, added the report released Monday. It also called for a social consensus on the matter, given that the redesignation could have a significant socioeconomic impact on South Korea.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee promises to back amendment to Constitution
On 77th Constitution Day, president asks secretaries to review redesignation as public holiday Marking the 77th anniversary of the South Korea's Constitution on Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung expressed his commitment to a new amendment, stressing that a new amendment to the Constitution must be "citizen-centered." In a Facebook post, Lee said a newly amended Constitution, which upholds the spirit of the Gwangju Uprising in May 1980, encompasses the greater fundamental rights of each citizen, the greater local autonomy and the curtailment of power through reforms "must be a compass to lead the way of South Korea." The liberal president also thanked the people for overcoming the political crisis that stemmed from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration in December, within the boundaries of the Constitution. South Korea last amended the Constitution about four decades ago, effective in 1987. It was the ninth amendment in the country since its foundation on Aug. 15, 1948. Later on Thursday, Lee asked his secretaries to consider redesignating Constitution Day as a public holiday in a meeting he presided over at his office in Seoul. Nearly two decades after South Korea removed Constitution Day, which falls on July 17 each year, from the list of public holidays, lawmakers have again pushed to designate the day as a full public holiday to shed light on the role of the Constitution in safeguarding democracy. Since Lee's inauguration on June 4, Reps. Kwak Sang-eon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Kang Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party have each introduced revision bills aimed at adding Constitution Day to the list of public holidays, following its exclusion in 2008. Kwak and nine other lawmakers of three liberal parties proposed the redesignation on June 13, suggesting it could "boost the domestic economy and guarantee people's right to rest," and at the same time uphold the spirit of the Constitution. Kwak proposed a revision of the Act on Public Holidays to allow South Koreans to be granted the day off. Of five national celebration days designated in South Korea, Constitution Day is the only among them that is not also designated as a public holiday. On July 9, Kang and 10 other People Power Party members proposed a similar bill to revise the Act on Public Holidays, raising a need for the Constitution Day to be redesignated. South Korea promulgated its first Constitution on July 17, 1949, and the day was designated as a holiday in 1950. The conservative Lee Myung-bak administration, however, delisted the day as a public holiday in 2008, amid calls to recover national productivity alongside the introduction of a five-day workweek in 2004. According to a recent report by the National Assembly Research Service, there have been 17 bills so far designed to reinstate Constitution Day as a public holiday since 2008. Constitution Day "holds great symbolic significance" in that a need to safeguard constitutional values has been in the limelight, and it therefore deserves to be redesignated as a public holiday, added the report released Monday. It also called for a social consensus on the matter, given that the redesignation could have significant socioeconomic impact on South Korea.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Speaker's gavel buried in Assembly yard as reminder of Dec. 3 martial law
Speaker Woo Won-shik on Thursday buried a "time capsule" in the front yard of the National Assembly. In it, was the gavel he used when he announced the passage of a resolution overturning former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The time capsule containing memorabilia of the night of martial law, to mark the 77th anniversary of the Constitution Day, will be opened 100 years from this day. At the ceremony attended by Woo and other parliamentary leaders, including deputy speakers Reps. Joo Ho-young and Lee Hack-young, a stone monument was also set up in remembrance of the day the National Assembly blocked martial law from taking effect. Inscribed on the monument were the words, "The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, the last bastion of democracy." Woo said the monument was intended to "signify the National Assembly's role in protecting the constitutional order, together with the people, as the last bastion of democracy in the country." The monument is about 5 meters wide and 1.2 meters tall, and was made from stones found in the Mugunghwa garden near the main entrance of the Assembly compound. Woo, formerly a five-time Democratic Party lawmaker, took office as Assembly speaker in June last year.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee says time to discuss amending Constitution led by National Assembly
President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday it is time to discuss an amendment to the nation's Constitution, urging the National Assembly to take the lead in the potential amendment process. In a Facebook message marking the 77th anniversary of Constitution Day, Lee emphasized the importance of "people-centered constitutional amendment" and pledged to work alongside the legislature to ensure the people's will is fully reflected in the revision process. Lee praised the nation's democratic resilience that overcame a botched martial law bid by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol. "Now, we must take another step forward," Lee wrote. "Just as we change clothes with the seasons, it is time to revise and refine our Constitution to reflect changing realities." He said the revised Constitution should embrace the nation's painful history, chart a path toward a just future, and serve as a living promise that embodies the dreams and hopes of the people. To that end, Lee proposed the inclusion of several elements in the amended Constitution, such as the spirit of the 1980 pro-democracy movement, the strengthening of basic rights, the expansion of local autonomy and decentralization, and reforms to power institutions. Lee had proposed a constitutional amendment to allow presidents to serve two four-year terms on the campaign trail, but this marks the first time he has called for a revision since taking office in early June. (Yonhap)
