Editorial Note
On July 2, 1952, the Republic of Korea Government announced that Assemblymen who failed to attend the special session of the Assembly, called to pass President Rhee’s revised constitutional amendments, would be “guided and escorted” by the police to the Assembly Hall. A police search rounded up legislators and scores of them spent consecutive nights at the Hall. Even the seven Assemblymen on trial in the Communist conspiracy case were brought to the Assembly to take part in the proceedings. With a quorum thus assured, the Assembly began work on the amendments. On the evening of July 4, a plenary session of 166 members of the legislature received a report by a special committee of their members which had studied the constitutional amendment calling for direct election of President and Vice-President, a bicameral legislature, and limited cabinet responsibility. The substance of the amendment was adopted that night by a vote of 163 to 0 with 3 [Page 377] abstentions. On July 15, the Assembly passed legislation to give effect to these new constitutional provisions. Shortly afterward, political trials against Assemblymen came to an end. For an account of these events, see United Nations document A/2187, pages 9–11.