President Lee says eyes frequent overseas trips for diplomacy during 'limited' term

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PARIS, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday he is making frequent overseas trips for summit diplomacy to maximize their benefits, as his term is constitutionally "limited."

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with a group of Korean residents in France on the last day of his four-day trip to the country for a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.

"I have scheduled many overseas visits during the initial stage (of my presidency)," Lee said.

"As my term is clearly limited under the Constitution, the effects (of overseas diplomacy) can be extended only when I start early," the president added.

His remarks come amid recent suspicions raised by opposition party lawmakers that the president may be seeking reelection through a constitutional revision, although the Constitution stipulates that any changes to the presidential system shall not apply to the president in office at the time of a revision.

The president and his ruling Democratic Party have been pushing for a constitutional revision that would mandate a shift to a four-year, two-term presidential system from the current single five-year term system.

The president reiterated that summit diplomacy, if pursued too late in a presidency, may only lead to limited benefits even if conducted successfully, while stressing that summit diplomacy may create new opportunities for investment, as well as economic and security cooperation.

He also highlighted the importance of taking advantage of South Korea's growing global status, pledging to "do well so as not to make people worry."

President Lee Jae Myung (R) and his wife, first lady Kim Hea Kyung, pledge allegiance to the national flag during a meeting in Paris with the Korean community in France on Sept. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)

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President Lee says eyes frequent overseas trips for diplomacy during 'limited' term

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巴黎，9月9日（韩联社）——韩国总统李在明周三表示，他将频繁出访海外进行峰会外交，以最大限度地发挥其益处，因为他的任期在宪法上是“有限的”。

李在与一群在法韩国居民会面时发表了上述言论。当时正值他为期四天的法国之行的最后一天，此次访问是为了与法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙举行峰会。

李显龙说：“在我总统任期的初期，我安排了多次海外访问。”

总统补充说：“由于我的任期根据宪法有明确限制，只有我尽早开始，才能扩大（海外外交的）影响。”

他的这番言论正值反对党议员最近怀疑总统可能试图通过修改宪法来寻求连任之际，尽管宪法规定，对总统制的任何修改都不得适用于修改时在任的总统。

总统及其执政的民主党一直在推动修改宪法，以强制将目前的五年一届总统任期制改为四年两届总统任期制。

总统重申，如果在总统任期内过晚开展峰会外交，即使成功开展，也可能只会带来有限的益处；同时强调，峰会外交可以创造新的投资机会，以及经济和安全合作。

他还强调了利用韩国日益增长的全球地位的重要性，并承诺“要好好表现，不让大家担心”。

2026年9月9日，韩国总统李在明（右）和夫人金喜京在巴黎会见在法韩侨胞时，向国旗宣誓效忠。（韩联社）

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李显龙总统表示，在其“有限”任期内，计划频繁出访海外开展外交活动。