President Lee Jae Myung has called for Constitution Day to be redesignated as a public holiday.

During a meeting with his senior aides at the presidential office on Thursday, Lee said designating July 17, Constitution Day, as a public holiday would offer a good opportunity to reflect on the constitutional principle that the people are the masters of the state.

Lee said in the wake of the “military coup” on December 3 last year, citizens restored the democratic constitutional order by fulfilling the role and responsibility of the sovereign, as set by the Constitution.
 
“I hope we will consider setting it as a holiday in the future because we need to pay special respect to the Constitution,” the president said, according to the top office.
 
Earlier in the day, in a message posted on social media to commemorate the 77th anniversary of Constitution Day, Lee said it was time for the Constitution to be revamped and refined in line with the changed reality.

He expressed hope that the National Assembly, as representatives of the public, will work toward people-centered constitutional amendments.

Once an official public holiday, Constitution Day was taken away in 2008 under labor productivity measures during the Lee Myung-bak administration.