KB News Desk
The presidential office in Seoul on Wednesday ruled out any constitutional revision that would allow President Lee Jae Myung to pursue a second term.
The move appeared aimed at ending a dispute sparked by remarks from National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik indicating that the matter could ultimately be left to voters.
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik reiterated that Lee had made his opposition to serving a second consecutive term clear while campaigning for president and had not changed his position since taking office.
Lee has said a second term “is not permitted under Korea’s constitutional system, would not be accepted by the public and is realistically impossible,” Kang told reporters at the Chunchugwan press center.
Kang expressed his disappointment that political parties had continued to dispute the issue even after the president had ruled out another term and Assembly Speaker Rep. Cho had clarified his remarks.
Kang cited Article 128, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, which stipulates that amendments extending a president’s term or changing term limits do not apply to the president in office when they are proposed.
“This must remain an unshakable principle,” Kang said. “I believe it is a historic consensus that we must uphold.”
Kang said any constitutional revision should instead address issues including enshrining the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Movement in the preamble and reforming the National Election Commission. The election watchdog has faced criticism over its mismanagement of the June 3 local elections, including ballot shortages.
“Cheong Wa Dae and the president are focused on delivering results from the overseas trip. Housing policy, stock market conditions and the people’s economic well-being are also critically important,” Kang said.
“We have no time to spend on an unnecessary and inappropriate debate. The president shares that view. We will focus on improving people’s livelihoods and advancing the Republic of Korea,” he added, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Earlier in the day, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ihk-pyo told local broadcaster MBC that revising the Constitution to allow Lee to seek immediate reelection was “practically impossible.”
The main opposition People Power Party nevertheless pressed Lee to make an explicit public pledge. Opposition leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok urged Lee on Wednesday to “clearly declare before the public that there will be no second term.”
“I hope (this administration) does not end up shortening its time in power by trying to prolong it,” Jang said.
The controversy began Tuesday after Cho said — during discussions over restructuring the system of government — that “questions such as a second consecutive term for the incumbent president ultimately come down to public opinion and the choice of the sovereign people.”
“It appears to depend on how the various political stakeholders reach an agreement,” Cho said at his first press conference since taking office, responding to a question about claims that the opposition’s resistance to constitutional revision was ultimately driven by concerns over extending the incumbent president’s tenure.
Cho later sought to clarify his remarks in a Facebook post.
“A second consecutive term for the incumbent president is not under consideration in the constitutional revision debate,” he wrote after the news conference. “I regret that my remarks, contrary to my intention, caused misunderstanding and controversy.”
