President Lee Jae-myung and Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok revived a dormant push for constitutional reform on the 7th, bringing the issue back less than a month after it stalled amid controversy over whether Lee could serve consecutive terms. The main opposition People Power Party called the move a diversion tactic, demanding that Lee "first declare he will not seek a second term."
French daily Le Monde published a written interview with Lee on the 7th, timed to his visit to France, in which the president addressed constitutional reform.
Lee said in the interview that he is "working to ensure that the political crisis created when former President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to declare martial law in December 2024 failed does not repeat itself," adding that "the goal is to make sure that the democracy won at great sacrifice is never threatened again." Citing the need for constitutional revision, he stressed that reform is "necessary to strengthen the president's accountability and to distribute power more appropriately."
At the core of Lee's proposed amendment is changing the presidential term from the current single five-year term to a four-year term with the possibility of re-election or consecutive service. On the 14th of last month, Lee outlined this direction for restructuring executive power on X, formerly Twitter, saying he "could shorten his term if necessary to bring about constitutional reform." He also proposed transferring to the National Assembly the oversight authority of the Board of Audit and Inspection, the power to nominate the prime minister and some appointment powers now concentrated in the presidency.
Kim also signaled his commitment to constitutional reform in a speech to the National Assembly as leader of his party's negotiating bloc. "While observing the procedural spirit of the current constitution and laws, I will pursue realistic constitutional reform that reflects the changes of the times and the demands of the people," Kim said. He added that "including the May 18 Gwangju uprising and the Busan-Masan uprising in the constitution's preamble is the starting point for reform, and restructuring executive power should go as far as the people want."
Kim also used the address to emphasize the role of the ruling party. "I will establish a creative, horizontal relationship between the party and the government," he said. "We will be a responsible governing party that speaks frankly about public sentiment while firmly providing support." The remarks were read as a message that the party intends to go beyond backing the president and strengthen its own role in state affairs by conveying public opinion.
On housing policy, the main driver of the government's falling approval ratings, Kim proposed a "housing New Deal." "The fundamental aim of housing policy goes beyond price stability to resolving housing problems," he said. "We will dramatically increase the housing budget and push housing supply at an unprecedented pace so that the public can feel the difference by 2030."
With the president and the ruling party leader raising constitutional reform in succession, attention is turning to whether the issue will again dominate year-end politics. The topic had subsided after National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik said at a press briefing last month that "constitutional reform allowing a sitting president to serve consecutive terms is a matter for the people to decide," but it now appears more likely to return as a major agenda item.
The People Power Party criticized the remarks by Lee and Kim as an attempt to shift the political narrative amid declining approval ratings. Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk wrote on Facebook that there was "not a word of apology for the 'real estate hell' and the 'stock market plunge,'" arguing that "constitutional reform fails precisely because that one sentence — 'I will serve only one term' — is missing." Some in the opposition camp also read the push as a political calculation to use constitutional reform to draw in moderate and conservative voters and secure a structural majority.
The Democratic Party rejected that as an overly political interpretation. "As the president and the ruling party leader, raising the need to include the spirit of May 18 in the constitutional preamble and to restructure executive power is something they can do at any time," a party official said.
