Jang Dong-hyeok Accuses Lee of "Building Toward Re-election"...Han Byung-do Denounces "Constitutional Amendment Agitation"

[Financial News] On the 9th, People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok claimed that President Lee Jae-myung is eyeing re-election through a constitutional amendment. Han Byung-do, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), countered that this was political agitation aimed at blocking constitutional reform.

At a supreme council meeting held at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea that day, Jang recalled that he had urged the president during the luncheon with party leaders and floor leaders to declare that he would not seek re-election or a second term even if the Constitution were revised. "President Lee Jae-myung dodged the issue and talked around it, avoiding a clear answer," he argued, adding, "In the end, we cannot dispel the reasonable suspicion that this constitutional amendment is about building toward his re-election."
During the luncheon, Lee Jae-myung reportedly asked Jang for cooperation as he mentioned a constitutional amendment initiative being pursued by parties other than the People Power Party (PPP). In response, Jang demanded that Lee first make a preemptive pledge not to seek re-election or a second term. Lee is said to have replied in the sense that there was no need for concern because the PPP holds the blocking minority needed to stop a constitutional amendment. At present, without cooperation from the PPP, it is impossible for a constitutional amendment bill to pass a plenary session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea.
Jang criticized the explanation later issued by Cheong Wa Dae about Lee’s response, saying, "They piled on excuses, but left out the core point that he will not seek re-election." He went on, "The public will never tolerate any scenario that extends Lee Jae-myung’s term in office. He must abandon this futile desire."


In response, DPK floor leader Han Byung-do held a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea the same day and said, "Jang is dragging the issue of presidential re-election into the constitutional amendment debate and turning it into partisan strife." He condemned the remarks as "irresponsible political agitation over constitutional reform" and "a textbook case of false agitation that treats political gain as more important than the country’s future."
Han Byung-do pointed to Article 128 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which clearly states that a constitutional amendment extending the presidential term does not apply to the incumbent president. "Let me repeat: this constitutional amendment bill is composed only of provisions on which there is no disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties. If the People Power Party (PPP) has objections, it should state them," he said, urging the PPP to join the debate. "If it refuses to shoulder the historic task of constitutional reform, the PPP will go down in history as a regressive party."
Six parliamentary parties led by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, and independent politicians have introduced a constitutional amendment bill with the goal of holding a national referendum alongside the local elections in June. The bill includes only non-contentious provisions, such as adding the spirit of the Gwangju Democratization Movement and the Busan–Masan Uprising to the preamble of the Constitution and strengthening the National Assembly’s power to check the president’s authority to declare martial law. The idea is to use this as a starting point and then pursue further constitutional revisions step by step, timed with future nationwide elections such as the next general or presidential election.


uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yun-ho, Lee Hae-ram, Song Ji-won Reporter