On the 14th, President Lee Jae Myung brought up a "four-year term or two-term system" in the direction of reforming the power structure. It is interpreted that President Lee expressed his position directly when it was observed that he could seek to revise the cabinet system or the decentralized presidential system from the power of the people. The strength of the people raised the level of the offensive, saying, "It is an attempt to break through judicial risks with a constitutional amendment."

On the same day, President Lee proposed a four-year two-term and two-term system through X (formerly Twitter), saying, "The majority of the people agree that our constitution, which is 40 years old, should be revised because it is not suitable for the times." President Lee also stated the May 18 Democratic Movement and the Buma Uprising in the full text of the Constitution and said that the presidential authority should be handed over to the National Assembly. Regarding the term of the president, he expressed the idea that he should receive an interim evaluation through a four-year term and consecutive term. At the same time, he said, "It was the official position during the 2022 presidential election that if the presidential term needs to be shortened for constitutional amendment, it can be accepted, and that idea remains unchanged."



◆ Political wrangling over power restructuring

However, according to the Constitution, it is impossible to apply a constitutional amendment to the incumbent president for two terms and two terms. Kim Tae-ho, a member of the People's Power, sparked the debate on constitutional amendment. Earlier, Rep. Kim reportedly claimed that the constitutional revision of the decentralized power structure was a hot topic at a golf meeting with President Lee. When Representative Kim proposed a decentralized constitutional amendment, President Lee said, "I think we should revise the constitution even by shortening the term of office."

In response, Cheong Wa Dae says it cannot confirm the closed-door schedule or the contents of the conversation. Earlier, President Lee also expressed his thoughts on reforming the power structure during the 21st presidential election. President Lee pledged △ a four-year presidential system △ a parliamentary recommendation system for prime minister △ a transfer of the Board of Audit and Inspection to the National Assembly.

However, during the 20th presidential election, he promised a two-term system, not a two-term system. Under the two-term system, if he fails to re-elect, he cannot run for the next presidential election. On the other hand, the two-term system can once again hold the presidency regardless of whether the term is continuous or not. A key Cheong Wa Dae official was wary of the expanded interpretation, saying, "I also mentioned the two-term system from the perspective of public preference."



◆ The 野 said, "There is no second term for Lee Let's start with the promise

The opposition party strongly protested. On the same day, Jang Dong-hyuk, the representative of the People's Power, pointed out on Facebook, "The prerequisites for the constitution are simple," adding, "President Lee himself needs to declare that he will only be president once." "The decentralized constitutional amendment is nothing more than a trick to avoid being unable to serve a second term," he said. Chung Je-sik, floor leader of the People's Power Party, also said, "It is an attempt to break through the president's judicial risks with a constitutional amendment," adding, "If President Lee really has the sincerity to the constitutional amendment, he should come to the public and promise to 'no consecutive terms' and 'be tried right away."

Meanwhile, President Lee's approval rating reached a new low, leading to a "dead cross" phenomenon in which positive and negative evaluations are reversed for the first time. In a poll conducted by Gallup Korea on 1,000 people aged 18 or older nationwide from the 11th to the 13th, President Lee's approval rating was 44%, down 7 percentage points from the previous survey. Negative assessment rose 8 percentage points to 46 percent.



◆ Li, we need to get a youth policy statement

In particular, the approval rate of the youth in their 20s and 30s is low. The approval rating for those in their 20s was only 30 percent, and the approval rating for those in their 30s was only 37 percent. President Lee also held a meeting of youth policy experts at Cheong Wa Dae to appease the public sentiment of young people. President Lee pointed out, "The problem with government policy is supplier-centered thinking," adding, "I think there are many times when consumers think, 'I'm trying to catch a wrong leg.'" He said, "I think we need to change our thinking," and added, "I want to sort out some problems with government policy." The largest number of voters cited "real estate policy" (30%) as the reason for negative evaluation of President Lee. 45% of the respondents said that the real estate tax reform plan had a negative impact on the housing market. For more information, see the Central Election Public Opinion Review Committee.

[Reporter SUNG SEUNG HUN / Reporter Lee Hyo Seok]