National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik has reaffirmed plans for parliament to lead a constitutional revision drive, while rejecting opposition claims that the effort is intended to enable President Lee Jae-myung to serve another term.
Speaking at a Kwanhun Club forum, Cho cited Article 128 of the Constitution, which prevents an amendment extending a president’s term or allowing reelection from applying to the president in office when the proposal is made. He said Lee’s term therefore cannot be extended through the revision under discussion and urged politicians to stop using the issue as a source of conflict.
- Current presidential term
- One five-year term
- Constitutional safeguard
- Term-related amendments do not apply to the sitting president
- Planned next step
- Launch an advisory committee under the National Assembly speaker
South Korea’s current Constitution limits presidents to a single five-year term. Cho’s position addresses suspicions raised after he said at a July press conference that the public should decide whether an incumbent president could seek a subsequent term. His latest remarks focused on the constitutional restriction affecting the sitting president rather than making a broader claim about every possible future candidacy.
Parliament will set the revision agenda
Cho said the National Assembly will soon establish an advisory committee under the speaker’s authority to identify the direction and central tasks of constitutional revision. The evidence does not specify which institutional changes the committee will consider, leaving the scope of the proposed revision to be defined after its launch.
Alongside the constitutional initiative, Cho said he intends to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy in support of South Korea’s national interests. He plans to visit major countries, including the United States and China, in the following year, linking the speaker’s domestic agenda with a more active diplomatic role for the legislature.