Choo Mi-ae and Jo Jung-sik, both candidates affiliated with the Democratic Party, shook hands at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul on the 12th to discuss the unification of the Speaker of the House candidates before the by-elections. Choo, a six-term. Democratic Party’s candidate, and Jo, a five-term legislator, unified around Choo as the candidate. Another candidate, a five-term legislator Jung Sung-ho, resigned from the candidacy.
Choo and Jo met at a restaurant in Yeouido on that day and agreed on unifying the candidates. Kim Byeong-gi, a close aide of one of the candidates, also attended the meeting. Jo announced, “I withdraw my candidacy to support the Democratic Party in realizing the people’s will for a reform-oriented National Assembly.” Prior to this, Jung announced his resignation, stating, “I will work harder to achieve victory for the Democratic Party and a change of government.” Just the day before, Jung had released campaign materials for the election for Speaker of the House, and Jo had shown strong interest in the position from the beginning but retreated suddenly. Thus, the Speaker of the House election now becomes a contest between Choo, a six-term candidate, and Woo Won-sik, a five-term legislator. Considering the tradition of the most senior candidate assuming the role, Choo is likely to be officially nominated.
Park Chan-dae, the majority leader, and other close aides reportedly met with the candidates over the weekend to reach an agreement. Some say that this decision reflects the intentions of Lee Jae-myung, another key figure in the party. A close aide to Lee stated, “It is a good outcome regardless of who becomes the candidate, but there is no need to escalate competition.”
Choo has emphasized that the role of the Speaker of the House is not neutral and has been known for his strong stance. He criticized the current Speaker, Kim Jin-pyo, saying, “There is a precedent of a former Democratic Party Speaker who compromised the integrity of the role.” Choo has overwhelming support among party members and supporters. While there was initial hesitation within the party leadership about Choo’s turbulent style, recent dissatisfaction among strong supporters due to controversies surrounding the meeting between Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung led to a shift in support towards Choo as the Speaker of the House. It is also reported that the “Cheorom Hoe,” a group of hardline first-term legislators from the 21st National Assembly, will hold a meeting on the 13th to officially declare their support for Choo as the candidate for Speaker of the House.
Amid efforts to improve relations between the ruling and opposition parties even after the meeting between Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, there is speculation that a sort of “division of roles” has taken place. It is suggested that if Choo takes a lead role in parliamentary struggles as the Speaker, it may relieve some pressure on Lee. Party officials have expressed concerns about whether it is right to accommodate Lee’s wishes all the way to the Speaker, who is supposed to preserve neutrality.