**Nam In-soon as Candidate for Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly**
On the 13th, Cho Jeong-sik, a Democratic Party member representing Siheung, Gyeonggi-do (sixth term), was elected as the candidate for the Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly’s second half. This followed President Lee Jae-myung’s supportive post on X (formerly Twitter). Park Ji-won (Haenam, Wando, Jindo in South Jeolla; fifth term) and Kim Tae-nyeon (Seongnam Sujeong, Gyeonggi; fifth term) were not elected. Nam In-soon (Songpa-byeong, Seoul; fourth term) was selected as the Democratic Party’s candidate for Deputy Speaker. Although the final decision for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker is made in a plenary session of the National Assembly, the Democratic Party holds a majority, so the chosen candidates from their internal election are essentially determined.
On this day, the Democratic Party held a general assembly at the National Assembly to select candidates for the second half Speaker and Deputy Speaker roles. For the first time, this primary integrated a vote among rights party members at an 80 to 20 ratio with the assembly members’ voting. The rights party member voting took place online on the 11th and 12th. The Democratic Party did not disclose the number of votes each candidate received, but it was confirmed that Cho won over half the votes in the first round, securing his nomination without a runoff.
In his policy speech prior to the vote, Cho stated, “I, Cho Jeong-sik, deeply understand and am responsible for implementing the national philosophy of the Lee Jae-myung administration,” and expressed his commitment to achieving tangible results for the people by working closely with the party, government, and the National Assembly as a team. He also pledged to quickly distribute seats in June, complete 100% of the legislative tasks by December, and ensure bills passed by the standing committees are processed in the Judiciary Committee and the plenary session within the same month. Furthermore, he announced plans to immediately form a special committee on constitutional amendments and pursue the processing of the constitution amendment that was recently stalled. Earlier, in a press conference on the 4th, he advocated for constitutional amendments focusing on a four-year presidential term with reelection, transferring the Board of Audit and Inspection functions to the National Assembly, and enshrining the lessons of the December 3rd crisis in the constitution.
In his victory speech, Cho emphasized his commitment to working closely with Party Representative Jeong Cheong-rae and Floor Leader Han Byeong-do to create a swift and effective National Assembly as the Speaker from the ruling party. He also said he would strive to support the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and uphold the sovereignty of the people through the National Assembly.
Cho, with his six-term tenure, is the most seasoned incumbent Democratic Party lawmaker and is seen as a key figure associated with Lee Jae-myung. As the party’s Secretary-General, he played a leading role in the so-called “Bimyeong Hoengsa” nominations during the 2024 general elections.
In political circles, Cho is believed to have received multiple instances of support from President Lee during this speakership election. President Lee appointed Cho as a special political adviser when Cho announced his candidacy for the second half speakership late last year and thanked him via X for his service when Cho resigned from the adviser role on the 3rd of this month to run for the speakership. He also shared a supporter’s post on X on the 11th, affirming their vote for Cho under the ranked voting system used in the party primary. The People Power Party criticized this as interference in the National Assembly Speaker election and blatant involvement in party affairs. Even within the Democratic Party, there were voices that considered President Lee’s open support for Cho as inappropriate.
Meanwhile, the People Power Party nominated Park Deok-heum (Boeun, Okcheon, Yeongdong, Goesan in North Chungcheong; fourth term) as their candidate for the opposition’s Deputy Speaker role, receiving 59 out of 101 votes (58.4%). The new Speaker and Deputy Speakers are expected to be elected in the plenary session as early as the 20th.