Political circles are once again in a heated debate over accusations that President Lee Jae Myung has ambitions to seek another term, even the Constitution forbids it.

Critics, especially those from the opposition, say the ruling bloc's pursuit of a constitutional amendment is aimed at helping Lee extend his administration, while presidential aides deny the speculation.

The issue resurfaced this week after National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik said Tuesday that whether an incumbent president can seek another term “is ultimately a matter for the people to decide.”

The remark immediately caused a stir. Cho, who is considered a loyalist of the president, made the remark during a press conference when asked about the constitutional reform sought by the ruling bloc.

Article 128, Paragraph 2, of the Constitution stipulates that amendments extending a presidential term or permitting reelection do not take effect for the president in office when the amendment is adopted.

Lee made a 2025 presidential campaign pledge to change the presidential system under the Constitution from the current single five-year presidency to a four-year, two-term system.

Lee’s proposal to overhaul the existing system, which has remained unchanged since the 1987 constitutional revision, came in the wake of ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's December 2024 martial law imposition.

He argued that the reform would strengthen presidential accountability by giving voters an opportunity to evaluate an administration midway through its term, while also decentralizing presidential powers.

The proposal was also intended to synchronize the president's term with the Assembly's four-year term, a move supporters say would reduce political gridlock and stabilize governance.

Although Lee made clear that the proposed changes would not apply to the incumbent president and said he would not seek reelection even if he became the president, questions have persisted over whether he could ultimately seek to consolidate unchecked power through constitutional reform, given his still-high approval ratings and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) commanding majority in the National Assembly.

Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok said the president "finally revealed his true intentions" after repeatedly insisting he had no plans to seek reelection.

Jang warned that any attempt to amend the Constitution to allow the incumbent president to run for another term would amount to "a real insurrection."

PPP floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig also vowed that the party would not take part in any constitutional reform discussions involving any proposals allowing Lee to seek reelection.

Some DPK lawmakers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were embarrassed by the Assembly speaker's remark, calling it "a huge blunder" that unnecessarily fueled controversy.

Following the backlash, Cho sought to clarify his position a day later, saying in a Facebook post that Article 128, Paragraph 2, of the Constitution should be respected and a sitting president's term is not subject to constitutional reform discussions.

"What I said was a basic principle that the people's approval is required to amend the Constitution, including the issue of changing the presidential system," Cho said, adding that he regretted causing a misunderstanding.

The clarification failed to quell the controversy, prompting the president's two top aides — chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and senior secretary for political affairs Hong Ihk-pyo — to issue further clarifications on Wednesday.

Kang told reporters that Lee had consistently maintained, even before taking office, that seeking reelection was "not permitted under our constitutional system, would not be accepted by the public and is not realistically possible."

Hong also said in a radio interview that, under the current Constitution, it is "not realistically possible" to amend the Constitution in a way that would allow a sitting president to seek reelection.

Lee is not the first Korean president to push for constitutional reform.

In 2007, then President Roh Moo-hyun proposed the same four-year, two-term presidential system, arguing that it would hold presidents more accountable while enabling greater continuity in long-term policymaking.

Korea is among a minority of countries that prohibit presidents from seeking reelection.

According to comparative constitutional data, 83 of the world's 95 presidential systems — about 87 percent — allow either consecutive or nonconsecutive reelection, while only 12, including Korea, impose a single-term limit.