At a Cabinet meeting and emergency economic review session at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee received a briefing from Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on a fire involving a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz and on the course of the Middle East war.
On the ship incident, Cho said a fire broke out at about 8:40 p.m. on May 4 but was quickly put out, and all crew members were confirmed safe. He said the vessel would be towed to a nearby port to assess damage.
On the war, Cho said U.S. President Donald Trump had announced a temporary suspension of the “Freedom Project,” adding that the outlook would depend on developments including progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Lee did not elaborate, asking only whether Trump had officially said the war and attacks would be halted or ended.
Cho replied that he had, but said it could be viewed in two ways: an attempt to avoid the 60-day limit under the U.S. War Powers Act by ending the war and then restarting it, or a genuine effort to find an exit strategy. Lee responded briefly: “I understand.”
Lee instead focused his remarks on domestic issues.
After receiving a report on a survey of farmland ownership and possible reforms, Lee called for stricter enforcement of the Farmland Act. “In an effective way, people who do not actually farm should not be able to own farmland,” he said, calling that “the clear intent of the Constitution and the Farmland Act.”
He criticized the current system, saying, “If you make a law and then make it so people can break it, that is not a law.” He said the structure allows people to buy farmland and leave it idle, and if caught, avoid penalties by appearing to farm once every few years.
Lee said that if someone is found subject to disposal and still does not farm the next season, the land should “immediately” be subject to disposal again. He said reforms should ensure that law-abiding citizens do not feel they are being penalized.
On constitutional revision, Lee said South Korea has undergone major political, economic and social changes since the current Constitution was revised in 1987, but the Constitution has remained unchanged for more than 40 years. He said the current framework makes it difficult to fully reflect the level of democracy, people’s living conditions and the country’s future.
“Your body has grown, but the clothes don’t fit,” he said. “Then don’t we need to alter the clothes?”
Lee added that a full revision would be difficult because of the burden and conflicting political interests, but said it was not an option to delay everything and urged a practical approach: “Let’s do as much as we can.”
With less than a month to go before the June 3 local elections, Lee warned that there must be no efforts to distort public opinion by spreading false information, obstructing decision-making, buying votes with money, intervening with power, or manipulating and rigging the process.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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