韩国总统提议修改总统任期

South Korea’s government has proposed a four-year, two-term presidency as a key element of the constitutional amendment that President Moon Jae-in is pushing to improve the balance of power in the east Asian country.

韩国政府提议将总统任期改为任期4年，可连任一届。这是韩国总统文在寅(Moon Jae-in)为改善这个东亚国家的力量平衡而推动修宪的关键组成部分。

Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for legal affairs, said it was time for the country to amend the constitution to allow the two-term presidency as the current five-year single-term presidency hails from the past era of long dictatorship. The presidential Blue House also proposed lowering the legal voting age from the current 19 to 18 in accordance with global standards.

韩国总统负责法律事务的首席民政秘书官曹国(Cho Kuk)表示，韩国修改宪法，允许总统任两届的时机已经成熟。目前实行的任期5年、不可连任的总统任期制是因为当时韩国经历了长久的独裁时代。韩国总统府青瓦台(Blue House)还提出，将投票年龄从目前的19岁降至18岁，与全球标准一致。

“It is time for us to implement the two-term four-year presidency [pending reelection] in order to enable responsible politics and stable management of national affairs amid the increased political awareness of the public,” Mr Cho told a news conference on Thursday.

周四曹国在新闻发布会上说：“在公众的政治意识日益增强的情况下，为了实现负责任的政治，确保国家事务得到稳定管理，我们是时候实行任期4年、可任两届的总统任期了（真正实施还有待重新选举）。”

The Blue House said the constitutional amendment proposal reflected growing public calls for guarding against presidential powers amid criticism that too much power concentrated in the president has made the country’s former presidents susceptible to corruption.

青瓦台表示，修宪提案反映出，在民众批评总统权力过于集中，导致该国之前的几届总统身陷腐败之际，公众对于防范总统权力的呼声日益高涨。

The proposal also includes reducing presidential power by strengthening the prime minister’s powers, stripping the president of the right to appoint the chief of the Constitutional Court and allowing the National Assembly to name three members of the nine-member state audit agency.

修宪案的内容还包括强化总理的权力来分走总统的权力；取消总统任命宪法法院院长的权力；在国家审计机构的9名成员中，允许国民大会(National Assembly)指定3名成员。

The government planned to submit the proposal to parliament on Monday. It needs approval from two-thirds of its lawmakers for a national referendum. But the Blue House is facing an uphill battle to get it passed at parliament, given strong opposition from opposition parties.

韩国政府计划下周一向国会提交修宪案。需要得到三分之二的议员的赞成票，才能就修宪举行国民公投。但要促使该案在国会通过，青瓦台面临着一场艰难的战役，因为反对党对此表示强烈反对。