Who Will Become the Floor Leader of the Giant Opposition Leading the 'Special Prosecutor Political Climate'?

New 'In-House Commander' Primary Scheduled for Second Week of May
Four-Term Kim Min-seok, Three-Term Kim Byung-gi, Kim Young-jin, Han Byung-do Mentioned
Focus on Pro-Myeong Clarity + Inclusiveness to Lead Large Seats

The Democratic Party of Korea, which won a landslide victory in the general election, is about to elect the first floor leader of the 22nd National Assembly. This position leads the massive number of seats and spearheads the opposition offensive against the ruling party. Coordination with Representative Lee Jae-myung and the ability to embrace various lawmakers are cited as key criteria.

According to the Democratic Party's constitution and regulations, the general meeting of lawmakers to elect the floor leader is held annually in the second week of May as a principle. This time, the floor leader election is expected to take place around the 8th of next month. For floor leader elections held before the start of the term after the general election, only 'elected' party members have the right to vote. Currently, 161 constituency-elected members qualify.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, along with the party leadership, the winners of the April 10 general election, and Democratic Party co-representatives Yoon Young-deok and Baek Seung-ah, visited the National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the 12th to pay tribute to the patriotic martyrs. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The new floor leader's term begins on May 30, when the 22nd National Assembly convenes. However, practical duties are likely to start earlier. They must lead working-level negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the organization of the assembly and the distribution of standing committees. Especially since the party has once again secured a majority of seats and will lead a minority opposition situation, combat capability to strongly pressure the government and ruling party is considered an important quality. The Democratic Party is conducting a two-track offensive, including a 'special prosecutor offensive' targeting First Lady Kim Geon-hee and former Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-seop, as well as 'livelihood pressure' measures such as the special law on charter fraud.

Among the pro-Lee Jae-myung faction, lawmakers Kim Byung-gi, Kim Seong-hwan, Kim Young-jin, Park Joo-min, and Park Chan-dae, who are serving their third terms, are mentioned. Chief Secretary-General Kim Byung-gi took charge of candidate verification as the chair of the Public Official Candidate Verification Committee and as the secretary of the Nomination Management Committee in this general election. Lawmaker Kim Seong-hwan was responsible for talent recruitment. Kim Young-jin, director of the party representative's political coordination office and a close aide of Representative Lee, is considered a balanced figure despite being part of the pro-Lee faction. Floor Deputy Leader Park Joo-min led discussions at the forefront when the Democratic Party pushed for the Itaewon disaster special law and the national audit related to the Marine Corps personnel death incident. Supreme Council member Park Chan-dae has supported Lee Jae-myung's campaign since the last presidential election and has worked closely with the leadership again.

Among the fourth-term lawmakers, Kim Min-seok, who tasted defeat when running for floor leader Hong Ik-pyo, is expected to make a comeback attempt. It is known that Representative Lee personally appointed Kim as the 'head of the campaign situation room' during the general election process. There is also interest in whether a 'female floor leader' will emerge. Lawmakers Nam In-soon, Seo Young-kyo, and Han Jeong-ae, who are reaching their fourth term, are also mentioned.

Among those with less factional color, third-term lawmaker Han Byung-do is cited. As chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, he assisted Representative Lee in directing the general election strategy, and his moderate stance is considered a strength. During the Moon Jae-in administration, he served as senior secretary for political affairs and as floor deputy leader under floor leader Yoon Ho-jung, gaining recognition for his inclusiveness across factions and practical negotiation skills.

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

A senior Democratic Party lawmaker said, "To judge the Yoon Seok-youl administration and to lead changes in the president's national policy direction, how well one can coordinate with Representative Lee Jae-myung is important," adding, "Since the number of seats has become massive, inclusiveness is as important a quality as factional issues."

The pool of primary candidates is expected to be narrowed down as early as the end of this month. Since only elected members have voting rights, the votes of 'first-term' lawmakers are also a crucial point. Among the 161 constituency-elected members, 60 (37.3%) are first-term lawmakers. The timing of the merger with the proportional representation satellite party, the Democratic United Party, remains to be seen. When the floor leader was elected before the opening of the 21st National Assembly, the election was held without merging with the Democratic Citizen Party.