Today, Opposition Nears 'Assembly Organization Negotiation'... "Tomorrow, We Must Elect the National Assembly Speaker"

Woo Sang-ho hints at solo election if negotiations fail
"Meeting with Kwon Seong-dong today, will wait and see"

Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the expanded executive meeting held at the National Assembly on the 1st and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed his intention to unilaterally elect the Speaker of the National Assembly if negotiations with the People Power Party, scheduled for the 3rd, fail, stating, "We must elect the Speaker tomorrow."

In an interview with KBS 'Sunday Diagnosis' on the morning of the same day, Chairman Woo said, "Since we have nearly 170 seats, the Speaker will likely be the person recommended by the Democratic Party regardless of when the election is held. Other standing committees must be agreed upon," he stated.

He added, "The National Assembly can only convene after electing the Speaker," and said, "We have the will to elect the Speaker allocated to the Democratic Party and not let the National Assembly remain in a deadlock. Electing the Speaker does not mean that all meetings will proceed smoothly at once."

Regarding the postponement of the plenary session to elect the Speaker, he explained, "I understand that Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, has returned to the country and that it will be held sometime this week, but we need to wait and see," adding, "We agreed to postpone the plenary session until Monday and continue negotiations until today."

About the scheduled meeting between the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties on the same day, he said, "I am also in a situation to wait and see."

Concerning the formation of the Special Committee on Criminal Procedure Reform, which has been proposed as a condition for negotiation, he pointed out, "The list of members for the Special Committee on Criminal Procedure Reform is just a list of names of lawmakers. That is not a difficult task," and criticized, "So far, the People Power Party has never brought any concession proposals."

Regarding the 'sexual bribery allegations' involving Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, Chairman Woo criticized, "As a politician, it is embarrassing that he is serving as the party leader," and said, "In a crisis, fighting over whether to discipline the party leader over a strange incident is not the image that should be shown at the beginning of this administration."

On adjusting the party convention rules, he stated, "We plan to reach a conclusion in the early part of this week," and added, "Other than that, there are not many major changes."

Regarding the method of forming the leadership system, he explained, "The authority of the party leader will not be touched at all," and said, "However, the Supreme Council members have been treated like puppets or rubber stamps. Even in a unified collective leadership system, Supreme Council members are elected officials, so it is necessary to slightly strengthen the scope in which the party leader and Supreme Council members can consult with each other as a form of improvement."

About the concretized party leader candidacy lineup, including the '97 Group,' former co-emergency committee chairman Park Ji-hyun, and lawmaker Lee Jae-myung, he said, "It is preferable to the old factional battles," and added, "What is important is that the people and party members make the choice." Regarding Park's indication of candidacy, he said, "According to the party's constitution and rules, she is not eligible to run, so this issue needs to be discussed among the emergency committee members."