Ruling Party Pushes for Constitutional Amendment... Will an Anti-Lee Jae-myung Front Form?

Choi In-ho Holds Press Conference at National Assembly
Proposes Constitutional Amendment for 4-Year Presidential Re-election System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Ahead of the presidential election, there is a strong wave of constitutional amendment within the ruling party. On the morning of the 15th, Representative Choi In-ho held a press conference at the National Assembly and proposed a constitutional amendment to hold the 2032 presidential election under a four-year renewable term system, stating, "Under the five-year single-term system, where long-term policy implementation is difficult, and in cases where a minority ruling party faces a majority opposition, situations have often occurred where not only the implementation of major policies but also the operation of state affairs itself becomes paralyzed."

Representative Choi also advocated ▲holding the 2032 presidential and general elections simultaneously ▲introducing a runoff voting system ▲institutionalizing the practice of the opposition party recommending the prime minister, stating, "I hope that the candidates running in this presidential election will achieve constructive proposals, discussions, and agreements for politics of cooperation and integration." He plans to propose this constitutional amendment and secure momentum for its promotion at the ‘Democracy 4.0’ forum, an intra-party research group centered on pro-Moon Jae-in (Chinmun) members.

Choi In-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press conference on constitutional amendment proposals at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 15th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

With even the pro-Moon camp advocating for constitutional amendment, a ‘anti-Lee Jae-myung’ structure is effectively forming around the issue of constitutional reform. Previously, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon announced plans to promote a constitutional amendment including the ‘public concept of land,’ and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun announced plans to promote a constitutional amendment including the ‘presidential renewable term system.’ Representatives Kim Doo-kwan, Park Yong-jin, and Lee Kwang-jae, who have declared their candidacy for the presidential election, also hold the position that constitutional amendment is necessary. However, Governor Lee maintains the opinion of ‘livelihood over constitutional amendment.’

Experts interpret this ‘cooperation structure’ as a natural move to break the dominance of the leading candidate. Political commentator Park Sang-byeong told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "It can be seen as an act of those other than the first place uniting to secure momentum," adding, "However, it is uncertain how much public consent the constitutional amendment card chosen nine months before the election can gain."

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