Lee believes Nat'l Assembly should decide constitutional revision: presidential office

Seoul, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung has expressed his belief that it falls to the National Assembly to determine the course of a constitutional revision, according to a presidential official. The official explained that President Lee perceives challenges stemming from a governing system that concentrates excessive power in the hands of the president.

This perspective emerged after a report the previous day highlighted Lee's advocacy for constitutional revision aimed at reforming the presidency. During a recent golf outing with lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, the official noted that President Lee posited a four-year, two-term presidential system as the most acceptable to the public, potentially mitigating the shortcomings of an overly centralized presidential system.

While the official acknowledged the feasibility of such a system, he emphasized that a constitutional reform should be deliberated upon and pursued by the National Assembly. This process would necessitate the approval of a minimum of 200 out of the total 300 lawmakers. The president's stance is consistent with his belief that constitutional reform should be achieved through bipartisan consent, reflecting his longstanding stance on constitutional reform.