National Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik said Tuesday that whether a sitting president should be allowed to seek re-election under a revised constitution is "ultimately a matter for the sovereign people to decide," adding that any such question would need to be settled through political consensus and public consultation during the constitutional reform process.
Speaking at his first press conference since taking office, held at Sarangjae on the Assembly grounds, Jo was asked whether concerns over extending President Lee Jae-myung's term were behind opposition-bloc resistance to constitutional reform. He said it was "premature to say anything one way or the other" about amending the constitution to allow a sitting president to run for re-election.
"It is a matter that requires agreement among various political stakeholders, and it will become an issue during discussions on a constitutional amendment draft," he said. "Opinions will be gathered through a constitutional reform advisory committee or a special committee on constitutional revision."
Jo also laid out a road map for pursuing constitutional reform. "I will soon launch a constitutional reform advisory committee under the speaker's office to draw up a road map and organize the key agenda items, and then form a special bipartisan committee on constitutional revision at the appropriate time," he said.
He argued that the timing was right, noting that about 40 years had passed since the 1987 constitutional revision — the same interval that separated the founding constitution from that revision — and that next year would mark that 40-year milestone again. "2027 is the right time to pursue constitutional reform, as there are no nationwide elections that year," he said.
Jo said the effort should move boldly over the next year and a half — neither rushed nor dragged out — and called next year a "golden window" for reaching agreement on the substance of any revision. "We need to build consensus between the ruling and opposition parties," he said.
He added that the process would require "pursuing dialogue, compromise and speed all at the same time."
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
