President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a luncheon with Korean residents at a hotel in Paris on Sept. 9 during his state visit to France.NEWS1
PARIS — “My term is clearly limited under the Constitution,” President Lee Jae Myung said in Paris on Wednesday.
Lee made the remark at a luncheon with Korean residents at the Pavillon Cambon during his state visit to France. It was his first public comment on his term since the opposition called on him to explicitly rule out seeking another term amid a debate over constitutional revision.
“I planned to make many overseas visits early in my presidency,” Lee said, given the limited time he has in office. “No matter how good a relationship you build later in your term, there will inevitably be fewer opportunities to make use of it.”
During a parliamentary speech on Tuesday, People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sig accused Lee of refusing to rule out another term because he wanted to extend his presidency through a constitutional amendment.
“The reason President Lee absolutely refuses to say he ‘won’t seek another term’ is because he wants to extend his term through a constitutional amendment and delay his trials,” Jeong said. “There will be no constitutional amendment under this administration.”
In his remarks at the luncheon, Lee also touched on the importance of diplomacy, having made 13 overseas trips and visited 21 countries in the roughly 15 months since taking office.
“Summit diplomacy gives Korea an open economy that depends heavily on trade, valuable opportunities for economic and security cooperation, including trade and investment,” he said. “Countries I have visited have seen markedly higher growth in exports and more private-sector exchanges.”
“[Korea’s] global standing in advanced industries, culture and the arts has changed almost beyond recognition,” Lee said. “We need to make the most of this opportunity.”
President Lee Jae Myung, left, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung exit Orly Airport in Paris on Sept. 9.JOINT PRESS CORPS
Lee also highlighted his role as co-chair of the Lumière Summit, an international conference on film and visual media held in Saint-Paul-de-Vence on Monday.
“France takes great pride in being a global cultural powerhouse, and the fact that France and Korea served as co-chairs shows Korea’s international standing in culture, the arts, film and visual media,” he said. “It also shows where our two countries intend to focus their efforts.”
“As advanced industries develop and productivity rises, demand for culture and the arts will inevitably grow,” Lee said. “We will increase investment and attention in culture and the arts and fundamentally reshape our overseas diplomatic missions so that they serve not only as bases for Korean companies expanding abroad but also as hubs for spreading Korean culture.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the president met Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the French National Assembly, at her official residence in Paris.
“The French Revolution spread the values of liberty, equality and popular sovereignty and had an important influence on Korea as it opened an era of popular sovereignty,” Lee said, according to Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson.
Lee said the democratic principles of liberty and equality have provided a strong foundation for the continued development of both Korea and France, including their economic growth and expansion into advanced industries.
President Lee Jae Myung greets children at a luncheon with Korean residents at a hotel in Paris on Sept. 9.YONHAP
He also asked for the French parliament’s cooperation so that people in both countries can see tangible benefits from the agreements reached during his summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Lee later told Korean residents that Braun-Pivet had asked him about the state of democracy in Korea. He pointed to the aftermath of the French Revolution as a lesson for Korea by citing the ruthless purges of counterrevolutionaries under Maximilien Robespierre and other revolutionary leaders.
“After the French Revolution, things were pushed too far, which led to a backlash, the loss of the political center and a dark period of counterrevolution,” Lee said. “Korea, too, has been undergoing revolutionary change since the night of Dec. 3, 2024,” he said, referring to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law. “I think this is something we ourselves need to be extremely careful about.”
President Lee Jae Myung, right, meets with Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, at a hotel in Paris on Sept. 9.YONHAP
“When there is an abundance of energy, restraint is necessary,” Lee said. “We need to move in a desirable direction with broad public consent and with as little pain and opposition as possible.”
The remarks appeared to underscore his administration’s early emphasis on political unity and pragmatism at a time when his approval ratings have continued to decline.
Lee also met with Mathias Cormann, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, in Paris later on Wednesday to discuss cooperation on future sources of growth as Korea marks the 30th anniversary of joining the organization.
The meeting concluded Lee’s five-day state visit to France before his return to Korea.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
