**Influence of Voting Rights Party Members Equals 30 Lawmakers**
**Kim emphasizes ‘national reconstruction partner’, while Seo highlights being ‘Lee’s friend’**
On the 7th, President Lee Jae-myung attended a dinner with Democratic Party leaders at the official residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, where he posed for a commemorative photo with lawmakers Kim Byung-gi (left) and Seo Young-kyo, both running for the party’s floor leader election.
[Seoul Economy]
The upcoming floor leader election for the Democratic Party will see a head-to-head contest between pro-Lee Jae-myung lawmakers Seo Young-kyo (four-term) and Kim Byung-gi (three-term). The results are expected to be significantly influenced by the vote of party members, as this is the first election where the reformed rule incorporating a 20% voting weight for party members will be applied. Given the Democratic Party’s current seats (167), the influence of party member votes may exceed 30 votes. Both candidates are actively engaging in external promotion to appeal to both the party’s lawmakers and the members themselves.
According to political circles on the 8th, Kim Byung-gi, assigned as Candidate No. 1, is emphasizing his role as a “partner in national reconstruction.” A former chief of staff at the National Intelligence Service, he closely assisted President Lee Jae-myung as the senior deputy secretary-general during Lee’s leadership. His organizational management skills were also acknowledged as he managed the election campaign’s organizational headquarters.
Seo Young-kyo, Candidate No. 2, served as a senior member in the first leadership team, working closely with President Lee. Having accumulated public recognition as the chairman of the Public Administration and Security Committee and a member of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, she led the campaign strategy committee in the challenging region of Daegu and North Gyeongsang (TK), gathering grassroots sentiment. Seo has spotlighted her image as “the president’s friend and comrade.”
The election for the floor leader position is critical as it will designate the first parliamentary leader in Lee Jae-myung’s administration, emphasizing the importance of alignment with the president. With the absence of a transition committee, establishing stable party-government relations is more vital than ever.
To tackle legislative tasks reflecting Lee’s governance philosophy, including supplementary budgets, leadership capable of smooth communication with the presidential office is essential. Furthermore, as the ruling party’s floor leader, maintaining amicable relations with the opposition is crucial. The acting party leader will also handle party affairs for nearly two months, potentially until the party congress is held next month.
The online voting by the Democratic Party’s rights-holding members for the next floor leader will be conducted over two days on the 12th and 13th. The final decision will combine the results from this vote with those from the lawmakers’ votes at the general assembly on the 13th.