"Ten Elections"... The 'Phoenix' Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, What Book Is He Into These Days?

[Interview with Jung Woo-taek, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] He has run in 10 elections himself. Jung Woo-taek, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, is regarded as a 'phoenix' in the political world. He entered Yeouido through the 15th National Assembly general election in 1996, and in the 17th general election in 2004, he ran for a third term as a candidate of the United Liberal Democrats but lost due to the fallout from the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun. Two years later, he made a spectacular comeback as the Governor of Chungbuk Province.

Since then, he maintained his seat continuously from the 19th National Assembly but was strategically nominated in a difficult district away from his own constituency in the 2020 21st general election and lost. However, he achieved his fifth term through the March by-election this year. Deputy Speaker Jung said, "After losing due to the failed nomination in 2020, I think sympathy votes poured in," adding, "(Whether elected or not) is the will of heaven, but even if I lost, being well re-evaluated was the greatest achievement."

Jung Woo-taek, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly. / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Deputy Speaker Jung is currently reading the book 'Korean Energy' written by Hong Dae-soon, a professor at Ewha Womans University Graduate School of Business. The book deals with the resilience of Koreans who created K-content loved worldwide in recent years. Deputy Speaker Jung said, "The author wrote that Koreans are a resource-poor country but rich in spirit," and the book was written dreaming of Pax Koreana through Culturenomics. These days, many people are going through hardships, so it was good to see that the potential of Koreans can lead new culture or economy."

He said, "It is a book that became an opportunity to realize how great the Republic of Korea is," and "There are many talented people in Korea, especially women who have lived under constraints for 2,500 years. If they had entered society faster, it would have become a 'Kingdom' earlier." He predicted that female experts will be the driving force of our country's growth and young venture entrepreneurs will lead the national economy. Deputy Speaker Jung emphasized, "Our task as the older generation is to nurture talent so that talented people from all walks of life can lead the world, and from a political perspective, we must not spare investment in future generations."