President Lee: "Partial and Sequential Constitutional Amendments Are Practical"...Urges National Assembly to Vote

On May 6, President Lee Jaemyung urged the National Assembly to process the vote on the constitutional amendment bill, stating, "Since a comprehensive constitutional revision would be too burdensome, it is a realistic approach to sequentially implement partial amendments as agreements are reached." President Lee specifically mentioned stricter controls on illegal martial law, including the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble of the Constitution, and strengthening local autonomy. He added, "It would be good if all political circles could put into practice what they have unanimously advocated."

President Lee Jaemyung is speaking at the Cabinet meeting and emergency economic inspection meeting held at the Blue House on May 6, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

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During his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting that day, President Lee commented on the National Assembly vote on the constitutional amendment bill scheduled for May 7, saying, "Since the enactment of the current Constitution in 1987, Korea has undergone tremendous changes in politics, economy, and society, but the Constitution itself has remained unchanged for over 40 years."

President Lee said, "The world has changed and grown, but the old clothes no longer fit," pointing out, "With the current Constitution, it is difficult to sufficiently secure the current level of democracy in Korea, the state of people's lives, and the country's future." He further stressed, "A comprehensive constitutional revision is too burdensome, and because of conflicting political interests, it is not easy to reach a consensus. Even so, we should not postpone everything; it is necessary to take a practical approach and do what we can now."

In what appeared to be a message directed at the opposition, including the People Power Party, President Lee asserted that there is no room for debate regarding the proposed amendments to strengthen constitutional controls on emergency martial law, the inclusion of the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement and the Busan-Masan Protests. He said, "Who would oppose preventing illegal martial law or increasing parliamentary oversight? Isn't it only natural to prevent a situation where martial law is declared, not in a genuine emergency, but to maintain power or for personal gain, thereby using the military to ruin the country and pursue dictatorship?"

Regarding the inclusion of the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the Constitution, President Lee said, "Whenever the anniversary of May 18 approaches, everyone says the spirit of May 18 should be included in the preamble. Now that there is a real opportunity to do so, why oppose it? It doesn't make sense." He added, "Who would oppose including the spirit of the Busan-Masan Protests? Strengthening local autonomy is also something all citizens agree on."

President Lee also instructed strict measures against election crimes ahead of the local elections. He stated, "Elections are the most important procedure in a democratic republic. The people who have the right to choose must be able to access accurate information." He continued, "There should never be cases where fake information is spread to distort opinions and intentions, where decision-making is obstructed, or where people are bribed or manipulated with power. As for the three major election crimes-negative campaigning, bribery, and public official intervention in elections-I urge the prosecution, police, and National Election Commission to respond decisively, swiftly, and strictly."

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong is responding to President Lee Jae-myung's question at the Cabinet meeting and emergency economic inspection meeting held at the Blue House on May 6, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

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Additionally, President Lee instructed each ministry to actively identify tasks for "normalizing the abnormal," citing poor examples in forest restoration projects. Referring to media reports that companies in charge of forest restoration planted trees poorly and then disappeared, President Lee said, "This has been going on for years, so why did the Korea Forest Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs not know until now? Just because something has been neglected for a long time does not mean it can be normalized."

In particular, regarding sanctions against poorly performing companies, President Lee said, "If administrative sanctions are ineffective, companies can just create a new one, bid, and then dissolve it. The cleanest way is to take away the money. Significantly increase the bid deposit, and if the company is found to be a paper company or a corrupt enterprise, forfeit the deposit."

President Lee also revisited the issue of inadequate inspections of illegal facilities in valleys. Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, reported that while 836 cases of illegal facilities had previously been identified, a nationwide investigation using aerial and satellite imagery and AI technology revealed more than 33,300 cases. In response, President Lee said, "This is a matter of public trust in government. We cannot allow people to say once again that the issue was glossed over." Regarding civil complaints, he added, "Don't consider complaints a nuisance; view the complainants as valued partners who inform us of our responsibilities. By the end of my term, we must be able to say that the number of complaints has been halved or reduced to a third."

Meanwhile, on the same day, President Lee reaffirmed his commitment to normalizing the real estate market, saying, "Real estate is invincible? That myth no longer exists." Sharing an article on X (formerly Twitter) titled "Home price outlook overturned in three months... Decline theory on the rise," President Lee wrote, "Just as illegal valley facilities are being rectified and the stock market is returning to normal, everything in Korea is being restored to order." He went on to stress, "The normalization of real estate is also an inevitable trend of the times and a core national task that must be accomplished."

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