20 Percent of Dues-Paying Members' Votes to Be Reflected
New Floor Leader to Be Elected on June 13
The upcoming floor leader election for the Democratic Party of Korea will be a two-way race between lawmakers Kim Byungki and Seo Youngkyo. With the contest essentially being a "pro-Lee Jae Myung versus pro-Lee Jae Myung" competition, there is growing interest in which direction the party members' votes will go.
On June 6, the Democratic Party announced that, as candidate registration closed, three-term lawmaker Kim and four-term lawmaker Seo (listed in order of ballot number) had registered as candidates for the floor leader election. Following the drawing for ballot order, Kim Byungki was assigned number 1, and Seo Youngkyo was assigned number 2.
President Lee Jae Myung is moving together with Park Chandae, Acting President of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Minki, Secretary General of the National Assembly, to attend the 21st Presidential Inauguration Commemorative Luncheon held at Sarangjae, the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on June 4, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Kim Byungki, a former Director of Personnel at the National Intelligence Service, is regarded as a prominent figure within the pro-Lee Jae Myung faction.
After the defeat in the 20th presidential election, when there were calls within the party for President Lee Jae Myung not to run in the party convention, Kim was the only two-term lawmaker who opposed this demand. In last year's general election, he served as a secretary of the Nomination Management Committee and is credited with playing a significant role in reorganizing the party under a pro-Lee Jae Myung system.
Seo Youngkyo is a senior female lawmaker who has served as the party's Public Relations Chair, Chief Deputy Floor Leader, and Chair of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee.
During the 20th presidential election, she served as the General Situation Room Chief for then-candidate Lee Jae Myung's campaign. Having served as a Supreme Council member in the "first Lee Jae Myung leadership team," she is also considered part of the pro-Lee Jae Myung faction.
The next floor leader of the Democratic Party will be elected on June 13, following an online vote by dues-paying party members and a vote by National Assembly members, both held from June 12 to 13. This floor leader election is the first to apply the Democratic Party's rule of "reflecting 20% of the vote from dues-paying party members."
The new floor leader, as the first parliamentary leader of the "Lee Jae Myung government," will be tasked with pushing forward key legislative agendas such as the Yellow Envelope Act and the three broadcasting laws, as well as leading negotiations with the opposition during the review of the supplementary budget in the second half of the year.
In particular, there is a consensus that, in order to effectively support the government's policy agenda in the early days of the administration, the floor leader must be someone who can communicate smoothly with President Lee Jae Myung.
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