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DP chief downplays constitutional reform in move to appeal to moderates

Published: 23 Feb. 2025, 18:59 Updated: 23 Feb. 2025, 19:13

MICHAEL LEE
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Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung speaks at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in Jung District, central Seoul, on Feb. 21. [NEWS1]

Democratic Party (DP) chief Lee Jae-myung is putting constitutional reform on the backburner as he jockeys for support from centrist and undecided voters in anticipation of a potential early presidential election.

The DP leader called for a constitutional amendment that would allow presidents to serve up to two four-year terms during his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2022, when he lost to current President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The Korean Constitution allows the president to serve a single five-year term.

However, during a policy interview broadcast by public broadcaster MBC on Feb. 19, Lee responded to a question about his willingness to amend the Constitution by saying his political energies are currently “focused on surmounting the insurrection crisis.”

The DP has argued that Yoon, who is currently undergoing an impeachment trial before the Constitutional Court, tried to replace the country’s democracy with military rule by declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.

During the televised interview, Lee also expressed concern that any discussion of constitutional reform could “turn into a black hole.”

Support within the conservative People Power Party (PPP) for changing the length of the presidential term rapidly cooled after former President Moon Jae-in called for constitutional reform in 2018.

Lee’s apparent unwillingness to push for an amendment that would allow incumbent presidents to seek re-election comes as he has emerged as the clear front-runner among Yoon’s potential successors in recent public opinion surveys.

If the court upholds the impeachment, an election to pick his replacement must be held within 60 days.

Observers believe past presidential hopefuls shied away from pushing for constitutional reform to avoid giving the impression that amendments would enable them to stay in office longer if elected.

The DP leader’s reluctance to discuss constitutional reform coincides with his efforts to attract more support from moderate and conservative-leaning voters and avoid controversy over hot-button issues.

People Power Party floor leader Kweon Seong-dong speaks at a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 23. [NEWS1]

Lee characterized his party as “moderately conservative” in a YouTube live broadcast on Tuesday, prompting criticism from the PPP and confusion from within his own party.

Lee watered those comments down in a Facebook post uploaded on Sunday, where he called the DP the country’s main “moderate party” whose “political role and responsibility has only grown because the PPP has swung so far to the right.”

In response, PPP floor leader Kweon Seong-dong said Lee’s remarks were part of a “politically motivated” campaign strategy to cast the PPP as a “far-right” party.

The PPP floor leader also questioned if Lee understood what it meant to be politically moderate, which Kweon argued should be based on tolerance of differing opinions.

"Lee’s actions show that he is not for tolerance, but for exclusion and division,” Kweon claimed.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]