South Korea’s Lee favours four-year presidency with re-election permitted, Yonhap says

[SEOUL] South Korean President Lee Jae Myung favours a constitutional reform that would allow presidents to serve a four-year term and seek re-election while strengthening parliamentary powers, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday (Aug 14), citing a presidential Blue House official.

The official said the model had the broadest public acceptance, adding that Lee shared concerns over the concentration of power under what critics have called the country’s “imperial presidency”, Yonhap reported.

“Constitutional reform should be discussed and pursued in the National Assembly,” the official said, according to Yonhap, noting that amendments require the support of at least 200 lawmakers and should be based on political consensus.

The presidency is currently restricted to a single five-year term. REUTERS