President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the necessity of revising South Korea’s Constitution to “strengthen presidential accountability and decentralize power” in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde on Sunday. In a written interview conducted before his visit to France, which began Sunday and ends Tuesday, Lee mentioned constitutional revision when saying he would “ensure that [Korea’s] hard-won democracy, safeguarded through the blood and sweat of the people, will never be trampled on again.” Lee emphasized his focus on preventing a repeat of the political crisis sparked by former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s abrupt declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, explaining that “measures to tighten the requirements for the declaration of martial law and to explicitly enshrine the spirit of the May 18 Democratization Movement” would be included in the revised Constitution. Lee also argued that judicial reform should be pursued to “prevent the concentration and abuse of power,” while military reform must take place “to prevent the military from threatening the constitutional order and to proactively prepare for modern and future warfare.” Additionally, the president highlighted his determination to engage in talks with North Korea. “I do not believe that walls of mistrust built up over many years can be brought down overnight with just a few taps,” he noted, clearly stating his intention to “help restart dialogue between North Korea and the US by serving as a ‘pacemaker.’” While Lee did not explicitly mention denuclearization, he predicted that this process would open opportunities to “discuss effective measures for bringing about a stop” to North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. When asked about South Korea’s relationship with the US, Lee said that he did not believe that US President Donald Trump was questioning the “sustainability” of the bilateral alliance. “Rather, I see his approach as an effort to move beyond a traditional view of the alliance and adapt it to the demands of a changing era,” said Lee. Against this backdrop, Seoul is “strengthening [its] role and responsibilities” within the alliance, “including by increasing defense spending and steadily building up essential military capabilities.” Lee also referred to the comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron during a state visit to Korea in April, in which Macron called for cooperation among countries like Canada, some democratic countries, countries averse to US hegemony, and countries wary of the unpredictable. Le Monde relayed how Lee responded to Macron’s “coalition of independents” comments by sharing his opinion that “close cooperation among nations, and particularly partnership among countries sharing common values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” was vital. Lee explained that the partnership South Korea sought took “the form of practical and open cooperation, with capable countries working together in specific areas to complement and further develop the existing international order.” “At the same time,” he said, “we are working to enhance our own capabilities to protect ourselves through our own strength and to deepen and advance our existing alliances,” as well as “responding flexibly and adapting swiftly to a changing environment.”