South Korea’s Lee backs 4-year, 2-term presidency with stronger parliament

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung favors a four-year, two-term presidential system that would strengthen the National Assembly's powers, viewing it as the constitutional reform option most likely to win public support, a presidential official said Friday.

"(Lee believes) a four-year, two-term presidential system that strengthens the power of the National Assembly is most likely to be acceptable to the public," the official said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Lee sees problems with South Korea's current governing structure because it concentrates too much authority in the presidency, the official said.

The remarks came after reports that Lee recently raised the need for constitutional reform while playing golf with lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties.

Lee, however, believes the National Assembly should determine the direction of any constitutional revision and that changes should be pursued through bipartisan agreement.

A constitutional amendment requires approval from at least 200 members of South Korea's 300-seat National Assembly.

"The president's position is that a constitutional reform should be pursued through (bipartisan) consent," the official said.

The official described that as Lee's long-standing position on constitutional reform, emphasizing that the president believes parliament, rather than the presidential office, should lead the process.