Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, noted on the 18th that he has revealed a constitutional amendment plan focusing on 'the four-year re-election system,' stating, 'It does not apply to the president during his or her incumbency.' This indicated that the prominent presidential candidate is drawing a line against suggestions that he aims to extend the term by changing the current five-year single-term presidency to a four-year re-election system.
On that day, after completing the '45th anniversary ceremony of the May 18 democratic uprising' at the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju, Lee met with reporters and said, 'Our constitution clearly states in its provisions that amendments do not apply to the incumbent president.'
Earlier, Lee announced a position paper regarding the amendment, which centers on the 'four-year re-election system.' He stated, 'Now is not the time to consider such matters (applicability to the incumbent president); instead, we need clearer controls to prevent the abuse of presidential powers that could lead to a military coup like the one under the Yoon Seok-youl administration or actions that trample on human rights of the people.' He also emphasized the need to include the spirit of the May 18 movement in the constitutional preamble.
In particular, he proposed the introduction of a 'Prime Minister recommendation system' to expand the legislative branch's authority to that of recommending the Prime Minister. He stated, 'We need to strengthen basic rights in accordance with the changes of the times and further expand autonomy and decentralization,' adding, 'There is also a need for additional direct measures to control the abuse of presidential powers.'
However, he clarified that this proposed amendment is not finalized. Lee commented, 'This reflects the candidate's position or the generally discussed position of the Democratic Party,' but added, 'Ultimately, it is a matter that should be decided through in-depth discussions with the public, and the National Assembly, as a representative body of the people, must take responsibility.'
This is the first time Lee has mentioned a constitutional amendment during the presidential election campaign. During a TV debate on the 23rd of last month, while the Democratic Party primary was underway, he had expressed, 'I question whether the amendment issue is so urgent. It does not directly relate to the people's livelihood issues, and the amended constitution will not be implemented immediately, so it is necessary to take a breather and focus on economic and livelihood concerns.' After criticism arose regarding the prominent candidate's silence on restructuring power, Jin Sung-jun, the policy chief of the Democratic Party's election committee, stated on the 12th of this month, 'We are coordinating time to present a separate plan and framework for the amendment.'