Why does Lee Jae Myung say South Korea needs to revise its Constitution?

Lee said the current Constitution does not fit contemporary society. He also pointed to the need to update the presidential system, having called for a four-year, two-term arrangement to replace the single five-year term.

Who should lead constitutional revision in South Korea, according to Lee Jae Myung?

Lee said the National Assembly should lead the revision through bipartisan efforts. He cautioned that a constitutional revision led by the president may not be welcomed by the public.

Why was the constitutional amendment bill put to a vote in South Korea in May scuttled?

The bill was scuttled amid an opposition boycott. Lee also highlighted the two-thirds consent requirement for lawmakers as a high barrier to constitutional revision.

Lee voices need to revise outdated Constitution, says assembly should take lead

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung called for revising the Constitution at a lunch meeting with former lawmakers at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday, saying the National Assembly should lead the effort through bipartisan agreement. He said a revision led by the president might not be welcomed by the public and noted that approval from two-thirds of lawmakers is a high barrier. The Constitution has not been revised since 1987, and an amendment bill put to a vote in May was scuttled amid an opposition boycott.

Key Facts

Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee described the Constitution as a cloth that does not fit contemporary society.
Lee has called for replacing the single five-year presidential term with a four-year, two-term system.
The Democratic Party of Korea holds a majority in the National Assembly.
The amendment bill put to a vote in May did not proceed after opposition lawmakers boycotted it.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 4, 2026 5:24 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung attends a Cabinet meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday voiced the need to revise what he described as the outdated Constitution, but said the revision should be led by the National Assembly through bipartisan efforts.

Lee made the remarks at a lunch meeting at Cheong Wa Dae with the leadership of the Parliamentarian's Society, an association of former lawmakers, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

"Given the contemporary environment, the current Constitution is somehow like a cloth that does not fit contemporary society," the president was quoted as saying.

He voiced the need to revise the Constitution but noted a constitutional revision led by the president may not be welcomed by the public, according to Kang.

The president also highlighted the "high barrier" posed by the required consent of two-thirds of lawmakers to revise the Constitution, stressing that the most desirable way would be for the National Assembly to revise the Constitution through a bipartisan agreement.

The Korean Constitution has remained unchanged since its last revision in 1987. Lee has called for a shift from the current single five-year presidential term to a four-year, two-term system through a constitutional revision.

The National Assembly, where Lee's Democratic Party of Korea holds a majority, put a constitutional amendment bill to a vote in May, but the bill was scuttled amid an opposition boycott.

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