Lee Jae-myung proposes constitutional amendment for 'four-year consecutive presidential terms'… What about the amendment to shorten the term?

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, has proposed a constitutional amendment for a 'four-year consecutive presidential term', making it clear that this does not apply to the current president.

On the 18th, after attending the commemoration ceremony for the May 18 Democratic Movement at the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju, Lee shared this stance during a meeting with reporters.

He emphasized, "Some are talking about shortening the term, but the issue of the term of the final responsible person for the country needs to be considered carefully."

Regarding the previously mentioned proposal to shorten the term by one year, he explained, "It is to align with the local elections." He pointed out, "Even now, it aligns perfectly if it is timed with the end of the local elections," and added, "Anyone who suggests advancing it further thinks of the presidential term as a private gain."

Emphasis on the inclusion of the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the constitution and proposal for constitutional amendment direction

Lee again stressed the necessity of including the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the constitution. He claimed, "The idea of popular sovereignty and the spirit of May 18, which was executed with the willingness to sacrifice lives, must be included in the preamble of the constitution."

He noted, "Even the previous ruling party (People Power Party) verbally agrees during the May 18 period," adding, "If we can reach an agreement on including the spirit of May 18, I believe we can amend the constitution in the local elections next year, but in the current state, there are voices that are not sincere, so it's bleak."

Lee explained, "I wanted to pursue the inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the constitution, the four-year presidential term, and the recommendation of the Prime Minister by the National Assembly all at once in this election, but it was a situation where timing made it impossible."

Regarding the situation at that time, he revealed, "The voice that overcoming internal turmoil is more important was prominent, and I proposed to the People Power Party to revise the referendum law within a week to amend the constitution, but there was no response."

For the future direction of constitutional amendments, he suggested, "Each candidate should present their constitutional amendment as a pledge, and once someone is elected president, it would be desirable to start discussions among the public and begin the amendment in the National Assembly as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, Lee criticized Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, for not attending the May 18 Democratic Movement commemoration ceremony, saying, "I hope he reflects and awakens even now, and comes this evening." He specifically criticized, "Can we call a campaign committee that attempted to recruit former Special Warfare Command Chief Jeong Ho-young, who directly commanded the massacre in Gwangju, a campaign committee of a democratic republic?"

Discussions about constitutional amendments have been continuously raised in the political arena, particularly regarding the introduction of a four-year consecutive term system to overcome the limitations of the single presidential term, which many politicians have campaigned for.

The current constitution has been maintained for over 30 years since its amendment in 1987, and the necessity for amendments aligned with changes in the era has been consistently raised.

Image source: News1