Jo Jung-sik Officially Announces Candidacy for National Assembly Speaker... "A Young and Reformist Senior Speaker Is Needed"

"Must Resist the Arrogance and Dogmatism of the Yoon Administration"
Presenting Three Major Visions Including Strengthening National Assembly Authority

On the 5th, Jo Jeong-sik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who declared his candidacy for the Gyeonggi Province governor election, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office proposing the formation of a working group for primary election rules and a direct voting national participation primary election. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Jo Jeong-sik, a five-term member of the Democratic Party of Korea classified as part of the 'Lee Jae-myung faction,' officially announced his candidacy for the Speaker of the National Assembly, stating, "I will devote everything I have for a reformist and people-centered National Assembly."

On the 15th, Jo held a press conference at the National Assembly and said, "As the head of the legislative branch, I will become the Speaker who blocks the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's unilateral actions and leads achievements."

He pointed out, "Under the Yoon Seok-yeol regime, the Democratic Party has now become the opposition. This is truly a wartime situation that requires extraordinary determination," adding, "In wartime, resolute spirit, strategy, and strong unified action are necessary."

He continued, "We must strongly oppose the arrogance, dogmatism, and unilateral dominance of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration," emphasizing, "We must become a 'more fierce, more desperate, and more reformist Democratic Party' that prioritizes the people and their livelihoods, and a 'competent alternative opposition party trusted by the people.'"

He added, "The first step to making the second half of the National Assembly a 'reformist National Assembly' and a 'people-centered National Assembly' is the election of the Speaker. A young, reformist, and capable senior politician who has fully upheld the spirit of the Democratic Party must become the Speaker in the second half," stating, "I, Jo Jeong-sik, am a 'young and reformist figure' among Democratic Party members with five or more terms."

He mentioned that during his time as the Policy Committee Chair, he successfully passed prosecution reform bills and conducted an 11-day solo protest demanding the withdrawal of Han Dong-hoon’s nomination as Minister of Justice.

He also highlighted his experience in key positions such as party spokesperson, secretary-general, chair of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and ranking member of the Budget and Accounts Committee, emphasizing himself as a "competent senior politician."

Jo presented three major visions: ▲ Establishing a new image of the Speaker of the National Assembly ▲ Leading the era of peace on the Korean Peninsula through the National Assembly ▲ Strengthening the powers of the National Assembly. He promised to create a Speaker role that checks the Yoon government and leads reform and recovery of people’s livelihoods. He also pledged that the National Assembly would take the initiative in easing inter-Korean tensions and facilitating communication between North Korea and the United States. He stated plans to strengthen the National Assembly’s authority by transferring the Audit Office to the National Assembly and mandating prior consultation with the National Assembly during government budget formulation.

After the press conference, he told reporters, "Over the past week, I sought advice from party members and many first-term and senior lawmakers within the party and heard many opinions. Amid this, there were quite a few recommendations for me to run," explaining his motivation for candidacy.

Regarding criticism that he broke the convention of electing the eldest member, he explained, "According to the Democratic Party’s Speaker election rules, when there is a tie, seniority and age are considered. There was no precedent of considering age as a convention. Since all candidates have five terms, they have equal qualifications, and seniority does not apply as a convention," he clarified.