04-07-2025
Constitutional revision to be Lee's top priority: presidential committee
The State Affairs Planning Committee, tasked with creating a blueprint for how President Lee Jae Myung will run the country, said Friday that amending the Constitution is expected to be one of the top priorities of the administration.
Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, the committee's spokesperson, told a briefing that amending the Constitution will be included in the Lee administration's agenda.
As a candidate, Lee had said that he would consider revising the Constitution to allow presidents to serve more than a single term. Under the current Constitution, which was last revised in 1987, presidents serve a single, five-year term, without the possibility of reelection.
The administration and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea-led push to strip the public prosecution service of its investigative authority could also require a constitutional amendment, as the role of prosecutors in the country's criminal justice system is defined in the Constitution. The prosecution currently holds both powers of investigation and indictment.
The committee is set to hold a meeting with pro-constitutional amendment activists and experts to gather outside opinions, according to Jo.
The 55-member State Affairs Planning Committee was launched in June to act as a transition team for the first two months of the administration. Lee took office immediately after Election Day without a transition period. It is similar to the now-disbanded National Planning Committee, which had operated under former President Moon Jae-in from May to July 2017.
