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Kim Tae-ho said, "If President Lee Myung-bak clarifies that he will not seek re-election, the opposition parties should also participate in the discussion on constitutional amendment."

Translated from Korean Read in Korean

National Assembly member Kim Tae-ho stated on 16th that if Park Jae-myung, the current president, clearly mentions that he will not seek a second term, then opposition parties should actively participate in the reform debate. Kim Tae-ho said on his Facebook that if Park Jae-myung shows his intention to not seek a second term first, both the ruling and opposition parties can start a genuine reform debate.

He also said, "The presidency and golf cannot change the politics. But opening the door for dialogue can." Kim Tae-ho emphasized that "Politics must be cooperative where we can compromise and confront where we must." He stated that "if the politics of the Republic of Korea can take even one more step forward, I will have a dialogue with anyone."

Kim Tae-ho argued that "Now is the time to move beyond the 87-year centralized power regime. Amidst the partisan struggle for a monarchic president by 5-year term, the politics for the nation and people has disappeared." He stressed that "if the incumbent president can initiate reform, declaring 'I will not gain any personal benefit from this reform' would be a high point of its authenticity."

He reiterated that "the legal possibility and political trust are two different issues." Kim Tae-ho added that "the power holder's willingness to give up something is decisive for forming public trust." He emphasized that "the future of the incumbent power is not about the reform of the incumbent president but the future of the politics of the Republic of Korea."

He noted that he proposed the division of power reform during Park Jae-myung's golf meeting on the 13th of last month and mentioned that the current president should "shorten the term of the presidency to enable responsible politics through mid-term evaluations" in his tweet on the 14th. In response to Kim Tae-ho's disclosure of Park Jae-myung's reform proposal, the National Assembly Federation strongly protested.

Park Chung-won, the chairperson of the National Assembly Federation, said in a written rebuttal on the 14th, "The reason is the continuity of state-owned projects such as semiconductors and AI, but there is no one who knows our true intentions." He urged Park Jae-myung to "publicly announce 'no second term' directly to the nation."

Written by urgent.news from Hankyoreh's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at hani.co.kr →

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