Kim Du-kwan: "I am always open to dialogue with Yoon and Han... Let's discuss constitutional amendment"

Kim "If Lee Jae-myung Becomes Leader, Extreme Confrontation Will Accelerate"
"I Will Persuade President Yoon to Amend the Constitution for a Four-Year Two-Term System"

In the August 18 party convention to elect the next leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea, candidate Kim Du-kwan, running for party leader, mentioned a constitutional amendment for a 'four-year renewable term.' He also emphasized the differences between himself and candidate Lee Jae-myung, explaining why he should become the leader.

On the morning of the 24th, at a press conference held at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Kim stated, "Constitutional amendment is the spirit of the times," and proposed, "President Yoon Seok-yeol should shorten his term by one year and hold local and presidential elections simultaneously in June 2026." He added, "I will help President Yoon make this historic decision for the happiness of the people and the development of the country," and pledged, "If I become the leader, I will meet with President Yoon for sincere dialogue and persuasion." He also suggested, "I propose that the newly elected People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon begin serious discussions on shortening the presidential term and constitutional amendment."

At the August 18 party convention to elect the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, candidate Kim Du-kwan, running for party leader, held a press conference on the 24th at the Democratic Party headquarters member zone in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Kim Du-kwan Camp]

He criticized candidate Lee, saying, "Candidate Lee is playing a 'chicken game' with President Yoon and is unable to communicate with Leader Han," and claimed, "If Lee becomes the leader, the extreme confrontations between 'Lee Jae-myung-Yoon Seok-yeol' and 'Lee Jae-myung-Han Dong-hoon' will accelerate." He emphasized, "I am always open to dialogue with President Yoon and Leader Han," and stressed, "If I become the leader, I can revive people’s livelihoods, restore democracy, and maintain peace." Currently, candidate Lee is overwhelmingly leading with 91.7% of the votes from the first five regions out of 17.

After the press conference, Kim explained his future role to reporters. He said, "Although I am not in the National Assembly, I have traveled all over the country through local autonomy and farmers' movements," and added, "If chosen as leader, I will fulfill such a role, and if not, I am determined to support or criticize our party through SNS as a party member."

At the August 18 party convention to elect the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, candidate Kim Du-gwan, who ran for party leader, held a press conference on the 24th at the Democratic Party headquarters member zone in Yeouido, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the constitutional amendment, he specifically stated, "We will establish a ‘Permanent Constitutional Amendment Special Committee’ within the party and organize a ‘National Constitutional Amendment Promotion Committee’ involving the public." He explained, "The 1987 system is outdated," and "Since society is changing, with jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence, it is appropriate to change the constitution, which is the principle of national governance." He added, "The five-year single term is autocratic," and said, "A four-year renewable term allows for focused communication during the four years to be re-elected."

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