Han Byungdo, New Ruling Party Floor Leader, Vows "24-Hour Hotline Among Party, Government, and Presidential Office" to Tackle Pending Issues

Chun Junho, a Pro-Lee Jae-myung Figure, Appointed as Senior Deputy Floor Leader
Full Commitment to Second Special Prosecutor Bill and Amendment of Pardon Authority

Han Byungdo, who was elected as the new floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on January 12, "We will establish a 24-hour hotline among the party, government, and presidential office to coordinate key issues in advance, and clarify responsibilities by planning legislative and parliamentary schedules ahead of time." His intention is to actively resolve communication issues between the party, government, and presidential office, and to strengthen unity in order to secure victory in the June 3 local elections and promote livelihood and reform legislation.

At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Floor Leader Han stated, "As the floor leader of the ruling party, I will accelerate tangible changes for the people and prove Korea's leap forward with concrete results. The party will unite more firmly and work in complete sync with the government."

Han's goal is to immediately address the challenges at hand and eliminate the discord between the pro-Myung (pro-Lee Jaemyung) and pro-Cheong (pro-Jeong Cheongrae) factions, as well as the lack of coordination among the party, government, and presidential office, which have become apparent even before the floor leader and Supreme Council elections. On this day, Han appointed Assemblyman Chun Junho (two-term, Seoul Gangbuk-gap) as the Senior Deputy Floor Leader to assist in parliamentary operations. Assemblyman Chun, who previously served as the Democratic Party's Strategy and Planning Committee Chair and as Chief of Staff to Representative Lee Jaemyung, is recognized for his expertise in facilitating communication among the party, government, and presidential office. Kim Hyunjung, the party's parliamentary spokesperson, introduced Chun as "the right person with the expertise and communication skills to work in harmony with the Lee Jaemyung administration to restore livelihoods, achieve economic growth, end internal strife, and restore constitutional order, as well as to lay the foundation for a landslide victory in the June 3 local elections."

The Democratic Party has announced that it will handle the second comprehensive special prosecutor bill at the January extraordinary session of the National Assembly on January 15. In his acceptance speech the previous day, Floor Leader Han stated, "We will recognize the opposition as a partner in state affairs and approach dialogue and compromise with an open mind," but also emphasized, "We will firmly put an end to defending insurrection and political strife that hinders people's livelihoods." Regarding livelihood legislation and local autonomy, he said, "We will process legislation accurately and support it with national interest-centered laws to address external risks."

Meanwhile, on January 11, the Democratic Party elected Kang Deukgu (two-term, Anyang-si Manan), Lee Sungyun (first-term, Jeonbuk Jeonju-eul), and Moon Jeongbok (two-term, Gyeonggi Siheung-gap) as new Supreme Council members.

Byungdo Han, the newly appointed floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on January 12, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim