Cheong Wa Dae: "It is regrettable that the reelection controversy is growing; President Lee will clearly state his position"

[Financial News] Hong Ik-pyo, senior political secretary at Cheong Wa Dae, on Tuesday dismissed claims that President Lee Jae Myung was pursuing constitutional reform with reelection in mind, saying, "The president has not even considered such a thing." Regarding calls from some political circles for President Lee to declare that he will not seek reelection, Hong said, "There will be a time when the president can speak directly," adding, "I believe he will use that opportunity to make his position clearer."
In an interview that day with the YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory: Humility Is Hard," Hong responded to the host's comment that some people were wondering why the president would not simply say he would not seek reelection when one statement could settle the matter. "That time has not yet come," he said. Asked about the timing, Hong replied, "It is difficult to say exactly," explaining, "September is typically the diplomatic season. He has to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, and there is also a schedule for a visit to Mexico."
Hong said, "Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and I clearly stated that reelection is not possible under the current Constitution and that the president has not even considered such a thing. It is regrettable that the controversy continues to grow despite that."
He also said that, when President Lee recently met with the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, Lee had made a comment to the effect of: "If I have no intention of doing anything, what does it mean to keep telling me not to do something I have no intention of doing?"
Regarding troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, Hong said the government was considering various possibilities.
On the deployment discussions, Hong explained, "I regret that reports made it seem as though everything had been decided before the government had finalized its position." He added, "Some people believe we should play an active role and that we need to do so within the framework of the South Korea-U.S. relationship, while there are also internal views expressing some concern about that."
However, he said, "Discussions are under way, and our government's position has not yet been finalized."
Hong also stressed that discussions had not reached the point where deployment was effectively decided and only the timing and scale remained. Since President Lee was on a state visit to France, he added, "After he returns from the trip, we will need to discuss the matter further." Hong said, "The president will probably discuss the issue during his visit to France. France proposed last time that we discuss the safe navigation of the Strait of Hormuz under its leadership, didn't it?" He continued, "I understand that the issue will probably also be discussed to some extent during the summit talks with France this time."
Regarding the withdrawal of indictments in cases involving President Lee, Hong said, "I believe the president's perspective places greater emphasis on fabricated indictments than on withdrawing the indictments."
Hong said, "Once it is clearly established that the indictments were fabricated, withdrawing them is something that can naturally be considered afterward." He added, "It seems out of order for the discussion to keep putting withdrawal of indictments first. I believe repeatedly raising withdrawal of indictments before anything else means entering the frame set by some members of the People Power Party and conservative media."
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter