The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae has submitted the government's proposal to amend the Constitution to parliament,... and now the ball is in the National Assembly's court.
It's almost certain to be a bumpy road ahead, but can the parties hammer out a compromise in time for it to be put to a referendum in June?
Kim Min-ji reports.

The ball is now in the National Assembly's side following the submission of the government's proposal to amend the Constitution on Monday.
March 26th gives parliament the full 60 days for deliberation,... and takes into account other legal procedures that's required -- in time to hold a referendum alongside local elections on June 13th.

The president's proposal came as talks have made little progress at the National Assembly with lawmakers unable to craft a proposal of their own.
The government hopes that its submission will be able to stimulate parliamentary talks.
Should parties aim for June 13th -- they need to reach parliamentary consensus and have a proposal voted on by May 4th at the latest -- to give it just the right number of days to complete the amendment procedure.

Any proposal, whether it be the government's or parliament's,... will need more than two thirds backing from the 293 seat National Assembly to pass.
But the main opposition Liberty Korea Party -- which holds almost 40 percent of the seats -- has been strongly against the government's draft.
Major areas of contention -- go from timing of the referendum,... and presidential term to how the prime minister is elected and even government structure.

Although its unclear how things will turn out,... the die is cast, and since the information of the bill has been made public -- the parliament will no doubt face a great deal of pressure.

"The reason why Koreans mistrust lawmakers is because they don't keep their promises. All parties pledged to carry out a referendum in June. Talks have started since January last year, and now saying they need more time? No one is going to buy that. They need to keep their promise to secure trust. On top of that, costs saving. It also will mean more voter turnout for elections."

However, it now depends on how much parties are willing to concede.
Should they fail to come up with a proposal on time,... experts say parties need to at least show that they have the urge to amend the Constitution at a later date.

"Because it requires two-thirds support -- the main opposition party could just turn it down. But there's no point in putting it up for vote, if it's going to be voted down. Instead, because the president said he is willing to scrap his proposal, parties should at least set a new date and have their draft ready by then."

For the next month or so, the National Assembly will be under the microscope with a of of interest focused on how parties will narrow their differences and land on the same page... or whether they will stand on parallel lines and in opposite directions.
Ki