The Democratic Party, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ju Ho-young, and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Kim Seok-ki Finally Elected

Preliminary Party Meeting Held Before the Plenary Session on the 27th for Primary Election

The People Power Party has selected six-term lawmaker Ju Ho-young as the ruling party's candidate for the National Assembly Deputy Speaker and finalized all seven standing committee chair positions.

On the morning of the 27th, the People Power Party held a party caucus at the National Assembly and conducted a vote to elect the Deputy Speaker for the first half of the 22nd National Assembly. Out of a total of 95 votes, Ju received 54 votes, becoming the final candidate. Four-term lawmaker Park Deok-heum, who also participated in the primary, received 41 votes. It was initially known that the Deputy Speaker position would be shared between the longest-serving Ju and lawmaker Cho Kyung-tae for the first and second halves, but Park challenged the position, emphasizing that Speaker Woo Won-shik is a five-term lawmaker, leading to a primary election.

Joo Ho-young, who was elected as the candidate for the National Assembly Vice Speaker representing the People Power Party, is delivering his acceptance speech at the general meeting of party members held on the 27th at the National Assembly, where candidates for the Vice Speaker and Standing Committee Chairpersons for the first half of the 22nd National Assembly were selected. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In his policy speech that day, Ju said, "Since we are facing the Democratic Party's Speaker and Deputy Speaker in a 2-to-1 ratio, it is better to have more seniority," adding, "I believe many lawmakers will adhere to the convention that values seniority and length of service."

Ju, who entered politics as a 17th National Assembly member, is the longest-serving lawmaker from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region. He has held key positions such as the Grand National Party's floor deputy leader, Saenuri Party's policy committee chairman, floor leader of the Bareun Party and United Future Party, and chairman of the People Power Party's emergency committee. In the 20th general election, he was excluded from the Saenuri Party's nomination, left the party, won as an independent, and later rejoined the party.

The People Power Party also elected candidates for standing committee chair positions that day. For the standing committee chairs, Yoon Han-hong for the Political Affairs Committee, Song Eon-seok for the Planning and Finance Committee, Sung Il-jong for the Defense Committee, Lee Cheol-gyu for the Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Business Committee, Shin Seong-beom for the Intelligence Committee, and Lee In-seon for the Women and Family Committee were all sole candidates and were unanimously endorsed by applause.

For the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee chair, four-term lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo and three-term lawmaker Kim Seok-ki competed in a primary, with Kim receiving 70 votes to become the final candidate. Ahn received 25 votes.

The National Assembly plans to hold a plenary session in the afternoon to officially elect Deputy Speaker Ju Ho-young and the seven standing committee chair candidates.