Democratic Party's New Floor Leader Hong Ik-pyo Elected: "Now One Team"

"Creating Momentum for General Election Victory with Representative Lee Jae-myung"

Hong Ik-pyo, a three-term lawmaker, was elected as the new floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

On the 26th, Hong was chosen as the new floor leader of the Democratic Party at a party meeting held at the National Assembly.

Hong Ik-pyo, the newly appointed floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving his acceptance speech at the '21st National Assembly Democratic Party of Korea 4th Floor Leader By-election Members' General Meeting' held at the National Assembly on the 26th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In his victory speech, Hong emphasized the unity of the Democratic Party, saying, "I have taken on a difficult position in challenging times."

He stated, "We are now one team. The Democratic Party will become one team and, together with Representative Lee Jae-myung, we will create the strength and momentum to win next year's general election," adding, "I will listen carefully to each and every opinion."

He continued, "As I mentioned, in the decision-making process, we will have principles and standards, and decisions will be made based on democracy and diversity. The process will be managed transparently, fairly, and competently," and said, "I will be the first to take responsibility for that."

Hong expressed discomfort over holding the floor leader election while Representative Lee Jae-myung was undergoing a detention hearing in poor health due to fasting, saying, "I am uneasy that the floor leader election was held at the time when Representative Lee Jae-myung, who is not in good health due to fasting, was undergoing a detention hearing," and emphasized, "I hope for the dismissal of Representative Lee’s case, and I will consult with each member regarding the subsequent situation and handle it well."

In this floor leader election, lawmakers Kim Min-seok, Nam In-soon, Hong Ik-pyo, and Woo Won-shik initially declared their candidacies, but Woo withdrew in the morning, urging for candidate unification, narrowing the race to three candidates. The remaining candidates proceeded without unification; Kim Min-seok was eliminated in the first round of voting, and in the runoff between Nam and Hong, Hong received the most votes and became the floor leader.