SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung has ruled out seeking a second term following a potential revision of the Constitution, his chief of staff said Wednesday after the parliamentary speaker made remarks interpreted as leaving the possibility open.

National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik told a press conference the previous day that it would be up to the people to decide whether to revise the Constitution to allow an incumbent president to seek another term.

Currently, the Constitution limits presidents to a single, five-year term and stipulates that an amendment to extend the term will not be effective for the president in office at the time the amendment is proposed.

"Our country's constitutional system does not allow it, the people will not condone it, and it is realistically impossible," Lee was quoted as saying by his chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, who spoke to reporters at Cheong Wa Dae while the president was visiting South America.

"President Lee has said so since before the presidential election, when he was a candidate, and continues to say so," he added.

Kang expressed "very strong regret" that the president has been drawn into a political controversy despite his stance against seeking reelection and noted Cheong Wa Dae has no time to waste on "unnecessary and inappropriate" discussions at a time when it is focusing on reviving people's livelihoods.

The speaker's remarks have fueled controversy in part because he is considered a key member of the pro-Lee faction who served as the ruling Democratic Party's secretary-general when Lee was its chairman.

hague@yna.co.kr

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