SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is only in the second year of his five-year term, but speculation over whether a constitutional amendment could allow him to seek reelection briefly emerged as a political flashpoint before senior ruling-party figures moved quickly to rule out the possibility.
The controversy erupted Tuesday after National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik said whether an incumbent president could run again under a revised Constitution was ultimately a matter of political agreement and "the choice of the sovereign people."
His remarks were widely interpreted as leaving open the possibility of Lee seeking another term if South Korea replaces its current single five-year presidency with a four-year term allowing one reelection. The ruling Democratic Party has proposed such a change as part of broader constitutional reform.
Cho later sought to end the speculation, saying the Constitution explicitly prevents a sitting president from benefiting from such an amendment.
"Article 128, Paragraph 2 of our Constitution stipulates that even if the Constitution is amended to extend the presidential term or permit successive terms, the change does not apply to the president in office at the time of the amendment," Cho wrote on Facebook.
"The provision must be respected, and the reelection of the incumbent president is not a subject for future constitutional discussions," he said.
"I regret that my answer, which was intended to explain the basic procedures necessary for constitutional revision, caused misunderstanding and controversy contrary to my intention."
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik also distanced the presidential office from the controversy, calling Article 128, Paragraph 2 a "historic consensus" that should not be undermined.
Kang said Lee had already stated during his presidential campaign that an incumbent president could not benefit from such a constitutional revision and that the public would be unlikely to accept any attempt to do so.
Democratic Party lawmakers echoed that interpretation.
"The current Constitution clearly states that provisions allowing reelection do not apply to the president in office when the amendment is proposed," Rep. Cho In-chul told AJP.
"In theory, someone could try to amend Article 128 next year, install an interim president and then have President Lee run again, but that would be impossible in South Korea," he said.
Cho added that incorporating the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising into the Constitution's preamble should take priority in any constitutional revision.
Rep. Kim Won-i was even more direct.
"It is constitutionally impossible for the incumbent president to seek reelection," Kim said.
"As far as I know, no one in the Democratic Party would violate the Constitution."
Opposition lawmakers nevertheless warned against piecemeal constitutional revisions that they said could weaken existing safeguards.
"A proper constitutional revision is needed to overcome the political system established in 1987, and electoral reform is particularly urgent," People Power Party Rep. Ahn Sang-hoon said.
"However, the Democratic Party's plan appears designed to make constitutional amendments easier through incremental revisions," he said.
"It looks like a ploy to delete Article 128, Paragraph 2 first and then allow the incumbent president to seek reelection. Such an amendment would face public resistance."
Rep. Kim Gunn said the single five-year presidential term was established to prevent a return to authoritarian rule.
"The single presidential term was a promise born from the firm determination of the Korean people, who overthrew military dictatorship and won democracy, never to allow dictatorship to take root again," Kim said.
"That is why the Constitution states that an amendment cannot apply to the president in office at the time. President Lee's reelection, therefore, cannot happen."
South Korea adopted its first Constitution in 1948 and has amended it nine times. The current Constitution, enacted after the 1987 pro-democracy movement, introduced direct presidential elections and a single five-year term. It took effect on Feb. 25, 1988.
Article 128, Paragraph 2 stipulates that any constitutional amendment extending a president's term or changing the rules on successive terms cannot apply to the president in office when the amendment is proposed. The provision reflects South Korea's experience of constitutional revisions that were previously used to prolong presidential rule.
The controversy could nevertheless complicate negotiations over broader constitutional reforms, including electoral reform, stronger legislative oversight of martial law and adding the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising to the Constitution's preamble.
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