"No Intention Whatsoever to Seek a Second Term"... Lee Requests Removal of Indictment Dismissal from Special Counsel Bill

[Anchor]

Today (September 18), 8 O'Clock News examines whether the president's press conference provided the answers the public was looking for. First is an issue directly concerning President Lee Jae-myung himself. President Lee stated, "I have no intention whatsoever of seeking a second term through a constitutional amendment." Addressing the controversy over dropping charges, he also requested that the National Assembly remove clauses granting the power to dismiss indictments from a special counsel bill.

First, reporter Park Yerim has the details.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung outlined his position on the issue of seeking a second term in a prepared text ahead of today's press conference, declaring in his opening remarks:

[President Lee Jae-myung: Taking this opportunity, I would like to state firmly once again. I have no intention whatsoever of serving a consecutive term.]

In July, controversy erupted when National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik, who previously served as President Lee's special adviser for political affairs, remarked that "the issue of a constitutional amendment allowing a consecutive presidential term is a matter of the people's choice." Following the remarks, voices grew across the political arena—outside the pro-Lee faction—demanding that President Lee make his stance on the reelection controversy clear.

The conservative opposition in particular demanded that he explicitly utter the five syllables meaning "I will not serve another term."

[President Lee Jae-myung: I felt that the demand to promise not to seek a second term was a political offensive aimed at creating a narrative that I was abandoning something I had planned. Nevertheless, (I state this firmly).]

Regarding the dismissal of indictments in cases involving himself, President Lee stated that the essence of the matter was being unnecessarily distorted. He requested the removal of provisions granting dismissal authority from the "Special Counsel Bill on Allegations of Distorted Indictment" being pursued by the Democratic Party.

[President Lee Jae-myung: Please remove clauses regarding the transfer or disposition of existing indicted cases from the special counsel's authority, and focus solely on uncovering the truth.]

His point was that the special counsel should be tasked only with uncovering the truth.

[President Lee Jae-myung: For cases suspected of malicious investigation and distortion, I believe it is right to uncover the truth through a special counsel.]

While the possibility of the special counsel directly dismissing indictments has been effectively eliminated, analysts note that should the investigation uncover clear circumstances of distorted prosecution, the possibility remains that the prosecution itself could move to withdraw the indictments based on those findings.

In addition, the conservative opposition is leveling sharp criticism over the fact that he offered no particular response to questions regarding the resumption of his trials after his presidential term ends.

(Video by Jung Sang-bo and Ha Ryung | Video Editing by Oh Young-taek)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.