Lee Jae-myung backs tougher rules on martial law

South Korean candidate Lee seeks constitution change

Robert Besser
02 Jun 2025, 11:14 GMT+10

Lee Jae-myung backs tougher rules on martial law

On May 30, South Korea’s leading left-wing presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, said he wants to change the Constitution to make it harder to declare martial law so that political crises like last year’s do not happen again
As the country prepares for the snap presidential election on June 3, Lee and his Democratic Party urged people to vote and help end the ongoing political crisis
This crisis began after former conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol briefly declared martial law in December

SEOUL, South Korea: On May 30, South Korea's leading left-wing presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, said he wants to change the Constitution to make it harder to declare martial law so that political crises like last year's do not happen again.

As the country prepares for the snap presidential election on June 3, Lee and his Democratic Party urged people to vote and help end the ongoing political crisis. This crisis began after former conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol briefly declared martial law in December.

"Our country's image has suffered, and something like this must not be allowed to happen again," Lee said on a YouTube talk show. He added that fixing this issue is essential and also listed economic growth and national unity as key goals.

Lee said he would try to change the Constitution so that martial law cannot be used without parliament's approval within 24 hours.

More people have been voting early. By noon on May 30, 25.8 percent of eligible voters had already voted — the highest early turnout seen at this stage in past elections.

Lee also said a special prosecutor should investigate the December martial law incident to punish those responsible. However, he asked for leniency for military officers who resisted following the orders.

Yoon Yeo-jun, who leads the Democratic Party's campaign, said the vote is a chance to correct the country's course and ensure the "Yoon Suk Yeol tragedy" doesn't happen again.

Meanwhile, Kim Moon-soo, Lee's primary opponent from the conservative People Power Party, said he would stop what he called the "legislative dictatorship" of Lee's party, which currently controls the parliament.