Constitution Clearly Limits Lee Jae-myung's Term in Office
President Lee Jae-myung said on the 9th (local time), in remarks at a meeting with fellow Koreans held in central Paris during his state visit to France, "My term in office is clearly limited under the Constitution, which is why summit diplomacy must get underway early in a presidency so that its effects can be enjoyed for a long time." While the remark came as he explained his summit diplomacy schedule, it also amounted to a direct reference to the current situation, in which constitutional revision talks have intertwined with questions over whether the president can seek a second term and how long his term should be—issues that have been circulating in political circles. That said, the president focused his message not on the constitutional revision issue but on the benefits of summit diplomacy.
His explanation of those benefits touched on the economy and security. "Summit diplomacy offers great opportunities for investment, economic cooperation, and security cooperation for South Korea, a country known as an open trading nation," the president noted. He added, "In fact, the countries I have visited have seen export growth rise markedly, and civilian exchanges and business cooperation have become more active." In his assessment, while South Koreans at home may hardly notice it, locals' attitudes toward overseas Koreans have changed considerably, and the country's international standing is undergoing a transformation so great as to be "nothing short of a complete turnaround."
"France is also the land of a great revolution, so there is something I really want to say," the president began, adding, "It seems there is a point at which we are going through some confusion right now," before laying out his thoughts on revolution and reform. "France completely transformed humanity's social institutions through the historic event of the great revolution," he said, assessing that "South Korea, too, has been undergoing an enormous revolutionary transformation since the night of December 3, 2024, when emergency martial law was imposed." However, he pointed out that in the course of the revolution France "went through a period of reaction and a period of counterrevolution, with enormous sacrifices," and that "pushing the situation too hard brought it into what is known as a backlash." He emphasized that this history—in which its support base collapsed and centrists drifted away, ushering in a dark period—holds a warning for South Korea as well, saying, "We must not let it repeat itself." "When energy is running high, restraint is needed," he added, stressing that progress must be made with broad public consent while minimizing pain and resistance.
The meeting drew to a close with a promise to the Korean community. "We must make the most of this opportunity," the president said. "I will do my job well so that you do not have to worry about South Korea."
