Opposition Announces Standing Committee Selection Criteria... 'Dual Position' Jeong Cheong-rae Says, "I Will Prioritize Party Over Personal Interest"

Discussion on the Method of Electing National Assembly Standing Committee Chairs at the Democratic Party's General Assembly on the 12th
Restrictions on Concurrent Positions for Supreme Council Members, Secretary-General, and Political Officials of Minister Level or Higher
Jeong Cheong-rae "Respecting Members' Choices... Will Not Serve as Standing Committee Chair"

On the 12th, the Democratic Party of Korea established a new standard that excludes individuals who have held political positions at the ministerial level or higher, including current and former party leadership, from being elected as standing committee chairs in the National Assembly. According to this decision, Representative Jeong Cheong-rae, who had insisted on retaining the position of Chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee as a party supreme council member, can no longer request a standing committee chair position. Representative Jeong accepted the outcome, stating, "I will put the party before personal interests."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, the Democratic Party held a caucus meeting at the National Assembly main building in the morning and reached this conclusion regarding the criteria for electing standing committee chairs.

Lee So-young, the party's floor spokesperson, told reporters after the caucus, "The criteria for electing standing committee chairs were established based on broad consultations by seniority and group affiliations, as discussed in the previous caucus meeting," adding, "The party's highest decision-making bodies, including the party leader, floor leader, supreme council members, secretary-general, and policy committee chair, will not concurrently hold standing committee chair positions."

She further explained, "Those who have held senior political positions at the ministerial level or above, or who have previously served as floor leaders, will also not hold standing committee chair positions."

Spokesperson Lee elaborated, "Holding two major authorities simultaneously may prevent full dedication to one role, and this is also a matter of distribution and balance."

She continued, "We discussed assigning standing committee chairs by comprehensively considering seniority, age, regional characteristics, and expertise," and added, "Specific appointments will be decided later, and we are discussing with the National Assembly to hold the election for standing committee chairs around the 14th."

Based on seniority, it is expected that lawmakers with three or fewer terms who have not previously held standing committee chair positions will be assigned as standing committee chairs.

When asked by reporters whether the standing committee chair positions might be assigned to second-term lawmakers, Spokesperson Lee responded, "That is the expectation," but added, "We will not simply consider seniority and age; we will also take into account the lawmakers' previous committee experience and regional characteristics."

Representative Jeong Cheong-rae, who was the Democratic Party supreme council member and the nominee for the Chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, stated that he would accept the caucus decision.

After the caucus, Representative Jeong told reporters, "There was a decision by Floor Leader Park Kwang-on and ratification by the lawmakers. I immediately stepped out and said, 'I will put the party before personal interests again,'" adding, "I valued the decision-making process more than the standing committee chair position."

He continued, "Lawmakers are elected or defeated by voters' choices. When that happens, we say we respect the voters' decisions," and said, "Today, I was not chosen by the lawmakers, who are the voters for the standing committee chair."

He concluded, "I acknowledge, respect, and accept the choice of the lawmaker voters," and said, "There will be no occasion for me to serve as a standing committee chair again. I will put the party before personal interests."