People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo has proposed amending the Constitution to shorten presidents’ terms so that future presidential elections coincide with general elections.

Kim made the proposal on Sunday shortly after Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung called for constitutional reform to allow presidents to serve as many as two four-year terms, with the introduction of a runoff system for presidential elections.

Kim said South Korea’s current rules, under which each president is elected for a five-year term with no possibility of reelection, put the presidential election cycle out of sync with the four-year cycle of general and local elections.

He said the next president’s term should be shortened to three years to align the presidential election cycle with the general elections in April 2028.

Kim also said that while he welcomes Lee’s proposal, Lee should clarify if he is seeking to open the way to a long-term presidency for himself. 

In addition, Kim said he would do away with a sitting president’s immunity from criminal trial proceedings in an apparent reference to ongoing criminal cases in which Lee is a defendant.