Former Saenuri Party Leader Lee Jeong-hyun Declares Presidential Bid... "All In on Constitutional Reform"

"Shortening Term to Three Years...
Vowing to Become the Constitutional Amendment President"

Former Saenuri Party leader Lee Jung-hyun declared his candidacy for the 21st presidential election on the 7th, stating, "I will become the constitutional amendment president."

In a statement distributed to the media on the same day, Lee said, "I am running to go all-in on constitutional amendment," adding, "Regardless of whether I become a candidate or not, I will do everything possible to ensure that the constitutional amendment agenda is not lost but discussed during the primary and general election processes."

Former Saenuri Party leader Lee Jung-hyun is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 8th. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Lee promised that if he becomes president, he will prioritize pushing for constitutional amendment. He explained that he intends to shorten his own term to three years and implement the amendment in the form of a national constitution.

He emphasized, "A hasty constitutional amendment must never happen," and stressed, "From the start of this presidential race, a thorough and focused discussion on constitutional amendment is absolutely necessary."

Furthermore, he declared his intention to transform the "political Republic of Korea" into the "living Republic of Korea." Specifically, he proposed revising the national goal from an advanced country with a per capita income of $40,000 to a G5 superpower with $100,000 per capita income. He also stated that more than two-thirds of appointments, budgets, and policies would be allocated to the 20s and 30s, MZ (Millennial + Generation Z), and 40s and 50s generations.

Regarding political reform, he said, "I will simultaneously change the system and people to remove the expired national harm (國害) obstacles," adding, "When the core is spoiled, a 30-40% reshuffle is not enough. Together with the people, I will completely overhaul the conservative party's national framework."

On personnel appointments, he stated, "I will implement a 9-3-1 style national appointment system, where nine experts recommend candidates, then narrow them down to three, and finally select one."

Lee said, "Just as I was the first elected leader of the conservative party from Honam, becoming the first president from Honam this time would itself be a great change," and argued, "Whoever becomes the People Power Party candidate in this presidential election must promise to make Honam a partner in national growth."