Opposition leader calls on Lee to rule out second term or risk losing office

Main opposition People Power Party leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok renewed his attack on President Lee Jae Myung Wednesday, saying the president should explicitly rule out another term if he hopes to serve the remainder of his presidency.

“It is so easy to say, ‘there is no second term.’ I do not understand why the words are so long,” Jang wrote on Facebook. “The road to keeping the remaining term is for Lee to give up any attempt to cancel his criminal trials now, and declare that there will be no second term.”

Jang’s latest Facebook post came hours after Cheong Wa Dae announced that Lee made his position clear and that Article 128 of the Constitution bars constitutional amendments extending an incumbent president’s term.

The dispute erupted after National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik said that any changes to the Constitution regarding the presidential term applying to a sitting president should be “up to the people.”

Some conservatives argued the move will pave the way for Lee to extend his presidency.

Referring to Cheong Wa Dae’s description of Article 128 as “a historic consensus we must preserve,” Jang questioned whether the government would follow the provision, saying they “repeatedly trampled on the Constitution” before.

“There is always a reason behind people making simple things sound complicated. They are trying to hide their true intentions,” he added.

Earlier Wednesday, Jang held an emergency press conference and accused Lee and his supporters in the Democratic Party of Korea of seeking Lee’s extended presidential term to avoid legal consequences.

“Lee’s attempts to cancel trials and revise the Constitution to extend his term will become the last day of this administration,” Jang said.