"Consecutive Terms for Incumbent President Is a Matter of Public Choice"… "Threat to Constitutional Order"

[Anchor]

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik has sparked political controversy by stating that allowing an incumbent president to serve consecutive terms is a matter of public choice. The People Power Party has fired back, claiming that his remarks reveal hidden intentions to extend the current administration's hold on power at the expense of the constitutional order.

Reporter Go Jeong-hyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

During a press conference yesterday (July 28), National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, who previously served as a political special advisor to President Lee Jae-myung, made the following remarks.

[Cho Jeong-sik / National Assembly Speaker: Regarding the restructuring of political power and the issue of constitutional amendment for consecutive terms for an incumbent president, I believe it ultimately comes down to public opinion and the choice of the sovereign people.]

When asked by a reporter about his stance on a constitutional amendment to extend or allow consecutive terms for an incumbent president, he replied that while such discussions are premature at this moment, it is ultimately a "matter of public choice."

[Cho Jeong-sik / National Assembly Speaker: If the issue arises during discussions on the power structure within constitutional amendment debates, it could become an issue again. Won't opinions eventually be gathered through the constitutional advisory committee or the special committee on constitutional amendment?]

Speaker Cho's mention of "public choice" differs in tone from the Democratic Party's clear stance last May, when it drew a firm line prior to pushing for a "one-point constitutional amendment," stating that the amendment and the issue of consecutive terms for the incumbent president were unrelated.

[Han Byung-doo / Democratic Party Floor Leader (April 9): People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyeok has brought up the issue of consecutive presidential terms, which is unrelated to the content of the constitutional amendment, in order to politicize the matter. This is a classic form of false agitation...]<br>

The People Power Party criticized the remarks, stating they exposed underlying motives to push for consecutive terms and extend the administration's power in a way that threatens the constitutional order.

[Jang Dong-hyeok / People Power Party Leader: If they defy the spirit of the Constitution and actually push for a constitutional amendment for consecutive terms, that itself will constitute a true act of rebellion.]

Article 128 of the current Constitution stipulates that "an amendment to the Constitution for the extension of the term of office of the President or for changing the provisions allowing consecutive terms shall not be effective for the President in office at the time of the proposal of such amendment."

Furthermore, amending the Constitution requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the total members of the National Assembly—meaning 200 or more lawmakers—making an amendment practically impossible without the consent of the 109 lawmakers from the People Power Party.

As the controversy grew, Speaker Cho stated late last night via social media, "I was merely explaining the basic procedures, and I regret that my remarks caused misunderstandings and controversy contrary to my original intention."

He added, "Consecutive terms for the incumbent president are not a subject for constitutional amendment discussions."

Hong Ik-pyo, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, also appeared on a radio broadcast today, stressing that "a constitutional amendment including consecutive terms for the incumbent president is practically impossible under the Constitution," and emphasizing that claims of prior coordination between Speaker Cho and the presidential office are entirely untrue.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

Reported by Shin Dong-hwan | Video by Park Sun-su | Graphics by Han Heung-soo

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