"Let's Dream of a 30s President Now"... Challenging Article 67, Clause 4 of the Constitution

Youth Justice Party's Press Conference on Lifting Age Restrictions for 2030 Presidential Candidacy
Na Kyung-won Promises to Remove Age Limits for National Assembly Members and Presidential Candidates

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Article 67, Clause 4 of the Constitution, which restricts presidential candidacy to those aged 40 and above, is being challenged. There is a growing call to open the doors so that young people can also challenge the highest power in the Republic of Korea.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 30th, the Youth Justice Party held a press conference at the National Assembly regarding the "Abolition of the Age Discrimination of 40 Years for Guaranteeing the Right of 2030 Youth to Run for President."

Kang Min-jin, leader of the Youth Justice Party, said, "I would like to propose breaking down the 40-year age discrimination barrier in the presidential election that blocks the candidacy of those in their 20s and 30s," and argued, "The constitutional provision that prohibits presidential candidacy under 40 is discrimination and unfairness." Kang pointed out, "This unreasonable provision was created by Park Chung-hee," and added, "The amended constitution played a significant role in preventing competitors in their 30s from running in the presidential election."

Kang said, "Those of you who have declared your candidacy for the presidential election now are talking about creating a country for the youth, and some have pledged generational change," and urged, "I hope each candidate will reveal whether they intend to push for lowering the candidacy age under the Public Official Election Act."

Although there have been challenges to the age restriction for presidential candidacy, the recent "Lee Jun-seok phenomenon," who gained great attention by running in the People’s Party leadership race, also plays a significant role. Former Future United Party Supreme Council member Lee Jun-seok is emerging as a leading candidate for the leader of the main opposition party, but running for president under the current constitutional system is impossible. At only 36 years old, Lee must aim for the presidential election after next instead of the upcoming one. However, as the idea of a 30-something leader of the main opposition party begins to take shape, a president in their 30s can also be anticipated.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Voices agreeing with the argument to lift the presidential eligibility age limit of 40 also emerged from the conservative opposition party. Na Kyung-won, former member of the People Power Party and competitor for party leadership against former Supreme Council member Lee, promised at the "1st Party Convention Joint Speech for Gwangju, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Jeju" held at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Chipeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, "I will abolish the 25-year-old age limit for National Assembly members and the 40-year-old age limit for the presidency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.