Blue House Says Incumbent President Re-election Amendment Is "Realistically Impossible"

The Blue House on the 29th moved to defuse the controversy by repeatedly ruling out the possibility of a constitutional amendment allowing an incumbent president to seek re-election through its key aides.
As political wrangling intensified after remarks made the previous day by Speaker of the National Assembly Jung Sung-sik, the president's chief of staff, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, and the senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications all stepped in to reaffirm that such an amendment is unconstitutional and would not be accepted by the public.
Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Korea Kang Hoon-sik told reporters at the Blue House that day, "The President said this before the election, when he was a candidate, and he has said it again now: our constitutional system does not allow it, the public will not accept it, and it is realistically impossible."
Referring to Article 128, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution, Kang stressed, "I think we should not waver on this in the future," adding, "I believe this is a historical consensus we must uphold." Article 128, Paragraph 2 stipulates that a constitutional amendment to extend a president's term or change the system of re-election does not take effect for the president in office at the time the amendment is proposed. He also said, "The point of revising the Constitution is not to revise everything," making clear that issues such as including the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement in the preamble and matters related to the National Election Commission could be discussed as amendment topics.
Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo also said on MBC radio that day, "Under the current Constitution, a revision that includes re-election for an incumbent president is realistically impossible." Regarding claims that Speaker Jung and the Blue House had coordinated in advance, he agreed with the host's question about whether even the word "re-election" had ever come up, and dismissed the idea, saying, "I have never once thought about a constitutional amendment for re-election in my mind, and I have never thought it was possible."
On President Lee Jae-myung's position, he explained, "The President has said on several occasions that a re-election amendment is not possible," adding, "The President is well aware of the contents of Article 128, Paragraph 2, and has repeated that several times."
Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations and Communications Sung Ki-hong also said on SBS's "Joo Young-jin's News Briefing" that day, "A constitutional amendment to extend the term of an incumbent president is unrealistic under the current constitutional provisions," adding, "I do not think the public would accept it."
Speaker Jung, who sparked the controversy, also clarified on social media the previous day, saying, "The contents of Article 128, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution must be respected," and "A future constitutional amendment debate is not the place for an incumbent president's re-election."
Three Democratic Party candidates for party leader also moved to calm the dispute. Candidate Kim Min-seok said, "It is unconstitutional, and expanding the issue is unnecessary." Candidate Jung Chung-rae said, "If necessary, Speaker Jung Sung-sik should apologize." Candidate Song Young-gil stated flatly, "It would be difficult to win public consent."
[email protected] Sung Seok-woo Reporter