Jeong Jeongsik: "No Constitutional Amendment Under This Administration... People Power Party Will Not Join Discussion" (Comprehensive)

September 8: National Assembly Negotiation Group Speech
People Power Party Draws Line Against Government and Ruling Party's Constitutional Amendment Talks
Calls on Judiciary to Resume President Lee's Trials
Criticizes Real Estate, Stock Market, and Expansionary Fiscal Policies

Jeong Jeongsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, drew a clear line against the constitutional amendment discussions proposed by the government and the ruling party during his negotiation group representative speech at the National Assembly on September 8, stating, "There will be no constitutional amendment under this administration." He labeled the ruling party's mention of constitutional reform as an attempt by President Lee Jaemyung to extend his term and delay his trial, and urged the immediate resumption of President Lee's suspended trial.

In his speech that day, Floor Leader Jeong stated, "I will never discuss constitutional amendment with forces who brazenly violate the Constitution and seek personal gain through amending it." Addressing President Lee directly, he argued, "He never says 'I will not seek re-election' or 'I will stand trial.' Is it their intention to extend the presidency and postpone the trial through constitutional amendments? Is even the Constitution being used as a tool to wipe away their crimes?"

Jung Jeomsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, is delivering a negotiation group representative speech at the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 8th. 2026.09.08 Photo by Yoon Dongju

When Floor Leader Jeong raised the issue of dropping the prosecution against the president, People Power Party lawmakers responded with loud applause. When Jeong demanded the resumption of President Lee's trial, ruling party lawmakers shouted back, "Enough!" heightening tension in the plenary session. As the session became disorderly, National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeongsik attempted to mediate.

Jeong also mentioned Democratic Party lawmakers joining a group advocating for dropping the president’s prosecution, the submission of a special prosecutor bill for this issue, and amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act including provisions for dismissal of prosecution, declaring, "The government and ruling party's top agenda is helping the president 'erase his own crimes.'" He criticized the increase in the number of Supreme Court justices and the Blue House's demand to renominate justices as "preemptive measures to allow the president to appoint Supreme Court justices at will." He once again called on the judiciary to "immediately resume President Lee Jaemyung’s five pending trials."

He also objected to the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigation authority, stating that the People Power Party will push to restore it. He warned, "If investigative resources fall short, police personnel might end up being diverted for investigations," adding, "This will weaken investigations and undermine public safety."

Regarding the recent cabinet reshuffle, he criticized Minister of Justice nominee Kim Seungwon as "head of the presidential prosecution-dismissal group and a figure associated with new drug scam allegations," and Minister of Gender Equality and Family Affairs nominee Yong Hyein as "a symbol of privilege and unfairness."

The floor leader also took aim at economic policies regarding real estate and stocks. "In the one year and three months under the Lee Jaemyung administration, the people have suffered from the real estate market and have been deceived in the stock market," he said, urging a complete repeal of the current real estate policy. He called for a parliamentary investigation and special prosecutor regarding the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs, and labeled the government's expansionary fiscal policy as "future plunder, not future preparation."

Jeong characterized the current situation as an "era of darkness" where the people's right to life, safety, property, and suffrage are being violated. Along with his criticism of the administration, the People Power Party proposed alternatives such as restoring prosecutors' supplementary investigation rights, abolishing real estate regulations, prioritizing the repayment of national debt, abolishing early voting, scrapping inheritance and gift taxes between spouses, ending cuts to elderly pensions, and reviewing U.S.-Korea nuclear sharing and the redeployment of tactical nuclear weapons.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.