Rival parties agreed Friday to set up a parliamentary body to discuss amending the Constitution.

The proposed changes include a change to the current presidential system as they had pledged last year ahead of the presidential election.

The agreement was made in the first round of six-member consultative talks held at the National Assembly that brought together policymakers of the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party.

“We decided to set up the discussion organization in order to have a common voice at the Assembly, because at present some lawmakers of both parties are discussing it individually, which may burden each party if there are discrepancies,” said DUP chief policymaker Byun Jae-ill.

The constitutional amendment discussion body will open in the near future with an option opened for the organization to later expand into a special parliamentary committee.

This is the first such group to be opened at the Assembly.

The idea of revising the Constitution to balance out the concentrated authorities of the president and change the presidential term has been floated since the Roh Moo-hyun administration. The late president ignited the debate by proposing a “one-point” amendment to change the power structure but was turned down by the Grand National Party, the Saenuri Party’s predecessor.

The debate was rekindled by the Lee Myung-bak administration but was opposed once again as an attempt to meddle in politics. To rule out any such political calculation, it was perceived to be most appropriate to start the talks at the beginning of an administration.

Last year, both major party candidates proposed constitutional amendments in their presidential election pledges, including President Park Geun-hye who vowed to work on changing the current single five-year presidential term to two four-year terms.

DUP floor leader Park Ki-choon has proposed a special committee to decentralize presidential power.

Debate has already been active among the lawmakers, including some 70 ruling and opposition party members led by the Saenuri Party’s Lee Jae-oh and DUP’s Yoo Ihn-tae, who formed a gathering to modify the presidential system that has remained unchanged since 1987, when direct elections were introduced.

Politicians and scholars have suggested a need to reduce the president’s authority, with such alternatives as allowing reelection or introducing a parliamentary Cabinet system. Some have also suggested moving the Board of Audit and Inspection, currently under the president, to the jurisdiction of the Assembly.

Other relevant discussions include strengthening regional governments and realigning the timing of presidential, parliamentary and local elections.

The rival parties, meanwhile, vowed closer cooperation by holding the six-member consultative meeting once a month to review economic democratization and political reform measures.

The president has continued to reach out to the parliament, most recently with a dinner with the DUP leadership Friday evening to urge their cooperation in countering security threats from North Korea as well as in getting the government’s major bills on real estate and a budget increase.

“I apologize for having caused your concerns,” Park was quoted as telling the attending lawmakers. Park’s oceans and fisheries minister nominee Yoon Jin-sook currently faces calls from the opposition to withdraw for alleged incapacity. But the president continued to defend the appointee, explaining that she appeared to have fumbled during her confirmation hearing because she was flustered but that the former director at the Korea Maritime Institute was fully capable of holding the position.

Earlier in the day, Park had lunch with non-parliamentary members of the Saenuri Party, following a dinner with lawmakers belonging to the National Assembly’s committees on foreign affairs and defense the night before.

Cheong Wa Dae has been offering an olive branch to the political parties in the past week as Park was seen making efforts to reconcile with the Saenuri Party and urge cooperation from the main opposition Democratic United Party.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)