PARIS — President Lee Jae-myung said on the 9th that his term in office is "clearly limited under the Constitution."
Lee, who is on a state visit to France, made the remark at a meeting with Korean residents in Paris as he explained why so many overseas trips have been scheduled early in his term. "France is a country that South Korean presidents visit often, so there seem to have been frequent meetings between the Korean community here and the authorities," Lee said. "We have arranged to make many overseas visits early in the term."
"Because my term is clearly limited under the Constitution, we can only reap the benefits if we start summit diplomacy quickly," he said. "No matter how good a relationship is built late in the term, its use is bound to be limited by then."
Lee has stated on several occasions that the term set out in the Constitution is unambiguous. The opposition, however, has argued that he is pursuing a constitutional amendment with the intent of seeking a second or consecutive term.
Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook that day that "President Lee brought up 'constitutional amendment' in a media interview even after traveling all the way to France, and Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok called for a 'constitutional amendment to restructure the power system' in his address as a negotiating bloc leader." He asserted that "there is only one reason the president is so fixated on this: a constitutional amendment for a consecutive term." Analysts said Lee, by making clear that his term is limited, indirectly rebutted the opposition's offensive.
