South Korean lawmakers are moving to ensure the nation never again has a president as powerful as Park Geun-hye.

A bipartisan parliamentary committee began meeting in January to rewrite the constitution for the first time since 1987, when mass protests forced a military junta to adopt a direct presidential vote. In recent months, hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have hit the streets to call for Park's removal over an influence-peddling scandal that led to her impeachment.

Suggestions to the committee have included everything from a British-style parliamentary government to France's system, where the president handles foreign affairs and the prime minister deals with domestic issues. The panel aims to release a proposal in a few months, which would need support from two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly and then face a national referendum.