South Korean president offers to revise constitution

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Monday offered to revise the country's constitution that has been maintained for nearly 30 years.

Park said in her parliamentary speech for the 2017 budget plan that she will set up a body inside the administration for a constitutional revision with an aim of completing it within her term in office that ends in February 2018.

Xinhua News quoted the chief executive, as saying that she anticipates a future-oriented constitution for a new "2017 regime", asking the National Assembly to form a special committee to garner public opinion and discuss the range and content of the proposed amendment.

Park's proposal was a surprise reversal in her position as she previously opposed any discussion on the amendment, which she called a possible "black hole" of all national agendas, to focus more on economic and security issues.