S. Korea’s leader pushes for two-term presidency

Park concedes opposition’s call amid potential graft scandal

Seoul: South Korean President Park Geun-hye called for constitutional reforms that could allow future presidents to serve two terms – as she struggles with plunging popularity ratings and a widening corruption scandal.

While its constitution grants enormous power to the executive, South Korea is one of the only advanced liberal democracies to restrict the presidency to a single five-year term, with no possibility of re-election.

The limit was set back in 1987 as South Korea transitioned to democracy after decades of military rule, and sought to pre-empt any return to extended periods of authoritarian control.

Critics say the cap has outlived its use and rendered the executive office perpetually unstable, allowing little time for consensus building as presidents push hard on legacy issues.

During a televised parliamentary address yesterday, Park called the constitution outdated and said the government should begin discussion to lay the groundwork for its reform.

“The constitutional may have been appropriate in the past,” Park said. “But now it has turned into a jacket that does not fit.”

Park said she would set up a government committee to push through a constitutional revision before the end of her term in early 2018.

Her office stressed that there was no possibility of Park herself

The constitution may have been appropriate in the past, but now it has turned into a jacket that does not fit. Park Geun-hye

running for a second term.

“The revision will not apply to the current president,” presidential spokesman Kim Dong-jo said.

The proposal was an aboutturn for Park, who previously said opposition calls for constitutional reform a “black hole” that would paralyse the government.

Opposition lawmakers questioned whether the president was looking for an issue that would deflect attention from an ongoing corruption probe.

“We have been calling for constitutional reform so such discussion is necessary, but we are curious why she suddenly changed her stance,” the main opposition party said.

South Korean prosecutors are currently investigating two of Park’s close aides over allegations that they leveraged their positions to force conglomerates into multi-million dollar donations to two non-profit foundations.