Jo Eung-cheon "Lee Launches the 7th Republic"

"20-Year Presidential Term Shortened by 1 Year... Introduction of 4-Year Two-Term System"
"Decentralized Presidential System, Responsible Prime Minister, and Substantial Separation of Powers Included in Constitutional Amendment"

Rep. Cho Eung-cheon of the Democratic Party of Korea is making a parliamentary procedure statement during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Administrative City Construction Agency, and the Saemangeum Development Agency at the Government Complex Sejong in Sejong City on the afternoon of October 5, 2021.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] Cho Eung-cheon, Co-Head of the Election Countermeasures Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 2nd that a constitutional amendment proposal will be made within one year of the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration.

On the same day, Cho said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' regarding the Lee Jae-myung-Kim Dong-yeon agreement signed on the 1st, "A constitutional amendment proposal will be made within one year of the new government's launch, and the 20th presidential term will be shortened by one year," adding, "The 7th Republic constitutional amendment proposal is based on a four-year two-term system."

Regarding the specific contents of the agreement, he explained, "The first point is that the 2026 presidential and local elections will be held simultaneously, and the constitutional amendment will include a decentralized presidential system, a responsible prime minister, and a practical separation of powers," adding, "Next, political reform bills to break vested interests will be submitted to the National Assembly during the transition committee period. These include mixed-member proportional representation, abolition of immunity privileges, national recall system, and prohibition of more than three terms."

He continued, "To resolve the major issues of housing and education policies, an independent decision-making body called the National Housing Policy Committee and the National Education Committee will be established. Also, a Common Pledge Promotion Committee will be created under the transition committee. The agreement includes forming a national unity government with Lee Jae-myung and Kim Dong-yeon as partners in state administration."

Regarding the possibility of assigning important roles to candidate Kim Dong-yeon upon the establishment of the Lee Jae-myung administration, he said, "Not only candidate Kim Dong-yeon but anyone who can help the Republic of Korea beyond ideology and camps will be earnestly invited and gathered. We will create a government that integrates policies and talents."

He said, "Some say that the spirit of the times and grand discourse have disappeared in this presidential election," adding, "Through the joint declaration of Lee Jae-myung and Kim Dong-yeon, the spirit of the times in this election is defined as 'breaking vested interests.' Regardless of advantages or disadvantages in the 20th presidential election, the grand discourse that had disappeared has finally emerged. This is a positive function and is quite meaningful."

In response to the host's question whether Lee's integration government theory is just an 'election show,' he replied, "Candidate Ahn Cheol-soo also said in the recent political TV debate that to show sincerity, the integration government theory must pass the party caucus. That is the key." He added, "As soon as that was mentioned, we held a caucus and passed it."

He added, "The Democratic Party of Korea is not a party that will disappear after the presidential election," and said, "There is a local election in June. If we make such promises and then let things fizzle out after the presidential election, we will not be able to avoid a huge defeat in the local elections."

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