"No More Unhappy Presidents"
"Lee Jaemyung, Please Join the Constitutional Amendment Effort"
Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, argued the necessity of constitutional amendment, stating, "Since the constitutional amendment in 1987, five presidents have gone to prison over 38 years. The problem is not the people but the system."
On the 13th, on KBS Radio's 'Jeonggyeok Sisa,' Ahn said, "For the Republic of Korea to develop, the system must be changed through constitutional amendment," adding, "There should never again be an unhappy president or anything that becomes an obstacle to Korea's development."
He then proposed four points that should be included in the constitutional amendment: ▲ enhancement of citizens' fundamental rights ▲ balanced regional development ▲ revision of the imperial presidency system ▲ and a mechanism to check the legislative power of the major opposition party. He explained, "First, there needs to be provisions for enhancing citizens' fundamental rights and decentralization of power to local governments," and "also, revision of the imperial presidency system is necessary."
He continued, "Next, there should be a check against excessive legislative power that paralyzes the executive and judiciary," adding, "For the basic principle of democracy, the separation of powers among the three branches must achieve checks and balances."
Ahn addressed Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "He says nothing about constitutional amendment and is effectively opposing it," and urged, "If Lee intends to be elected president, under this system he will inevitably become an unhappy president. To prevent that, please join the constitutional amendment effort."
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