Lee Jae-myung and Kim Dong-yeon Agree on Joint Declaration for Political Change: "We Will Form a National Unity Government"

Presidential Term Shortened by 1 Year... 2026 Presidential and Local Elections to be Held Simultaneously
Constitutional Amendment Includes Decentralized Presidential System, Responsible Prime Minister System
Political Reform Bills Such as Mixed-Member Proportional Representation and Abolition of Parliamentary Immunity Proposed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 1st, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Dong-yeon, the presidential candidate of the New Wave, reached a sudden agreement on a "Joint Declaration for Political Change," which includes the formation of a national unity government after the presidential election, shortening the presidential term by one year, and election system reform.

On the same day, Lee and Kim met at a cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and agreed to form a national unity government with the two as partners in state administration.

Both sides expressed a shared view that political change is crucial to overcoming the comprehensive crisis currently facing the Republic of Korea. Candidate Kim said, "The proposal to change the political landscape and replace the powers bore fruit, showing a good response from Candidate Lee and the Democratic Party," adding, "After sincere and earnest dialogue, we are very pleased to have reached an agreement today on political change and the operation and formation of a unity government."

Candidate Lee also responded, "Our politics must change. We share the will for political reform aimed at new politics and political change, and furthermore, all political forces concerned for the people and the country will come together to form a unified government and a national cabinet. We have also agreed on this point," adding, "It would be great if we join forces to firmly create a new Republic of Korea."

Both sides plan to shorten the 20th presidential term by one year to hold the 2026 presidential and local elections simultaneously, in order to amend the 1987 system. They will establish a separate body to reach national consensus on the constitutional amendment and aim to draft the "7th Republic Constitutional Amendment" within one year of the new government's launch. The amendment will include a decentralized presidential system, a responsible prime minister, and a genuine separation of powers.

Additionally, both sides agreed to create political reform legislation that includes election system reform such as a mixed-member proportional representation system to break the entrenched two-party politics, abolition of parliamentary immunity, introduction of a recall system for lawmakers, and prohibition of more than three consecutive terms for members of the National Assembly.

In particular, to address the most pressing livelihood issues of housing and education policy, they agreed to establish independent decision-making bodies that transcend party lines, political ideologies, and factional logic: the "National Housing Policy Committee" and the "National Education Committee."

Furthermore, under the presidential transition committee, a "Common Pledge Promotion Committee" composed of citizen representatives will be formed. It will organize common pledges among presidential candidates and strongly promote them from the early stages of the government.

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