Kim Min-seok says constitutional reform push to begin in earnest, cites PPP voices already emerging

Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok said Monday that constitutional reform is the ruling party's top national policy priority, adding that the time has come to move forward in earnest now that President Lee Jae Myung has publicly ruled out seeking a second term.

Kim made the remarks during an appearance on the Democratic Party's YouTube channel "Minti07," saying the goal is to "complete the history of moving beyond the 1987 constitutional system to the next one" during President Lee's tenure.

Kim identified key reform tasks as inserting references to the May 18 Gwangju Uprising and the Buma Democratic Protests into the constitutional preamble, restructuring the power structure, and expanding social and economic rights. "It carries the meaning of codifying our society's sociopolitical consensus," he said, adding that the reform would make clear that figures like Lee Jin-suk fall outside the bounds of the constitution and public consensus.

On the question of power structure, Kim said the party would follow whatever the public agrees on. "There are many conventional options, such as a four-year two-term presidential system," he said. "But some keep inventing things that don't exist. A parliamentary cabinet system — at least our party has no intention of considering that."

Kim said the constitution should guarantee a dignified life for all, moving beyond the eras of democratization and industrialization. "It should enshrine social and economic rights for a dignified, basic society that elevates fundamental rights," he said.

On timing, Kim said the current thinking of Kim Tae-nyeon, head of the party's constitutional reform task force, is to aim for an agreement roughly one year from now — keeping maximum distance from the next general election — and to put the amendment to a national referendum.

Turning to the People Power Party, Kim recalled that PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok had previously told him that a presidential declaration ruling out a second term would be "the greatest public achievement." "Now that it has come to this, if they refuse to move forward, the PPP owes the public an answer," Kim said.

He went on to say the reform should be advanced and debated step by step. "Voices are already beginning to emerge within the PPP saying that now that the term issue has been settled, shouldn't we be discussing this," he said.