[Profile] Han Byungdo Appointed as New Ruling Party Floor Leader... 'Gentle and Rational Communicator'

Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Moon Blue House, Chief of Staff for Lee’s Campaign
Led Passage of Budget Bill Within Deadline Last December

On January 11, Han Byungdo, a three-term lawmaker representing Iksan-eul in North Jeolla Province, was elected as the new floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. He is known for his gentle and rational disposition and is regarded as someone who maintains good relationships with both ruling and opposition party members.

Born in 1967 in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, Han was part of the “86 generation” (born in the 1960s, attended university in the 1980s) student activist movement. He served as president of the student council at Wonkwang University and was imprisoned in 1989 for leading pro-democracy protests. He is also a third-term member of the National Council of Student Representatives (Jeondaehyeop), which was chaired by former Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jongseok.

In the 2004 17th general election, Han entered the National Assembly as one of the so-called “Tandori” lawmakers. However, he failed to secure the United Democratic Party nomination in the 2008 18th general election. In 2009, he served as an advisor to the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, and in 2012, he worked as a special political advisor and party executive to then-Democratic United Party leader Han Myeong-sook.

In the 2016 20th general election, Han ran for Iksan-eul in North Jeolla Province but was defeated by Jo Bae-sook, the then-candidate from the People Power Party. He was active in Moon Jae-in’s presidential campaigns in both the 2012 and 2017 18th presidential elections, and during the Moon administration, he served as Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House after working as the Secretary for Political Affairs.

Yonhap News Agency

While serving as Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Han was responsible for communication between the ruling and opposition parties. He often jokes that his name, “Byungdo Han,” comes from “can’t drink even one bottle of alcohol,” as he does not drink. Nevertheless, he is recognized for his humility and ability to communicate smoothly with opposition lawmakers.

Han became a three-term lawmaker after being elected in Iksan-eul in both the 2020 21st and 2024 22nd general elections. In 2023, when Lee was party leader, Han played a key role as head of strategic planning and secretary of the general election planning committee, contributing to the party’s victory in the 2024 general election. He also served as the campaign headquarters chief during last year’s presidential election.

Han has also served as the Democratic Party’s deputy floor leader for parliamentary operations and as chair of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. Notably, at the end of last year, when tensions between the ruling and opposition parties were at their peak, he successfully led the passage of the Lee Jaemyung administration’s first budget bill within the statutory deadline through smooth proceedings and dialogue.

In 2023, during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Han made a strong impression by joining provincial lawmakers from North Jeolla Province in a group head-shaving protest against the government’s plan to cut the Saemangeum social overhead capital (SOC) budget.

▲ Iksan, North Jeolla Province ▲ Department of Journalism and Broadcasting, Wonkwang University ▲ Advisor, Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development ▲ 17th National Assembly Member (Iksan-gap, North Jeolla Province) ▲ Deputy Floor Leader, Uri Party ▲ Advisor, Roh Moo-hyun Foundation ▲ Chairman, Korea-Iraq Friendship Foundation ▲ Deputy Director, National Participation Headquarters, Moon Jae-in Presidential Campaign ▲ Secretary for Political Affairs, Blue House ▲ Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Blue House ▲ 21st National Assembly Member (Iksan-eul, North Jeolla Province) ▲ Deputy Floor Leader for Parliamentary Operations and Head of Strategic Planning, Democratic Party of Korea ▲ 22nd National Assembly Member (Iksan-eul, North Jeolla Province) ▲ Chair, Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, National Assembly