'2nd in National Protocol' Speaker of the National Assembly, Park Byeong-seok vs. Kim Jin-pyo Duel... What Are the Variables?

[Asia Economy Reporters Kang Nahum and Jeon Jinyoung] The competition within the Democratic Party of Korea for the position of Speaker of the National Assembly, ranked second in the national protocol, is fierce. With a two-person race solidifying between Park Byeong-seok, a six-term veteran, and Kim Jin-pyo, the oldest five-term member, the outcome is difficult to predict as various factors such as precedent and party leadership intertwine.

According to political circles on the 12th, Park has actively expressed his intention to run, stating in his declaration for the April 15 general election, "I will become the Speaker of the National Assembly and lead parliamentary reform." This is his third attempt at the Speaker position, and he is putting more effort than ever into winning votes.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Park personally wrote handwritten letters to the local offices or homes of newly elected first-term members. The letters included not only congratulations but also advice on areas first-term lawmakers should pay attention to, such as constituency management after the election and committee selection. He also hosted dinners to listen to and respond to the concerns of first-term members. It is known that he frequently drops by Democratic Party members' evening gatherings, saying he "just stopped by."

While Park targets voters with an analog sensibility by writing handwritten letters, Kim's approach is 'online.' He sent digital letters via the KakaoTalk messenger with personalized messages for each elected member, expressing his philosophy of creating a contactless digital society to overcome the economic crisis. He also gifted first-term members his book, "Create Jobs Instead of Seeking Jobs," which contains solutions for employment in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. Kim plans to actively court offline votes as well by having lunch with the elected members of the Democratic Citizen Party, which is scheduled to merge with the Democratic Party on the same day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The biggest variable that could shake up the competition is the 'floor leadership.' Earlier, with Kim Tae-nyeon, a pro-Moon Jae-in faction member, elected as floor leader, there was speculation that the Speaker position might tilt toward Park, who is less factional, to maintain balance. However, this analysis changed when Kim Young-jin became the chief deputy floor leader. Kim Young-jin, a former aide to Kim Jin-pyo, is known to be directly and indirectly supporting Kim's bid for Speaker. This means Kim Jin-pyo is receiving strong support from the deputy floor leader, who has extensive contact with lawmakers.

The 'vote' of key pro-Moon lawmakers within the party is also crucial. In this regard, Kim is considered to have a slight advantage. Since he belongs to the pro-Roh Moo-hyun and pro-Moon groups, it is expected that securing the pro-Moon vote will not be difficult. In fact, Jeon Hae-cheol, the leader of the pro-Moon mainstream group called the 'Owl Meeting,' supported Kim when he ran for party leader in the past.

The precedent that the Speaker position usually goes to the most senior member favors Park. There is also speculation that many lawmakers might vote for Park due to the burden of breaking this precedent.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.