[Politics, That Day...] Democratic Party Hooks the Big Fish of the National Assembly Speaker... Behind the Scenes of the 'Political Master' Tug-of-War

Negotiation Trio for the 20th National Assembly Organization: Woo Sang-ho, Chung Jin-seok, Park Ji-won... Fierce Intellectual Battle Among Renowned Political Strategists

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] ‘Politics, That Day…’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to noteworthy scenes, events, and figures.

Woo Sang-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is smiling at the declaration event for the Seoul mayoral election held on March 11, 2018, at Sejong Hall, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

The negotiation over the organization of the new National Assembly is the stage where the fiercest political power struggles unfold in Korean politics. The floor leaders, who represent their party members at the negotiation table, engage in strategic battles to maximize their gains based on their respective ‘stakes (the number of seats secured in the general election).’

One should not be intimidated by having a small ‘stake,’ nor should one be complacent with a large one. The nature of the organization negotiation is such that the winner of the general election can become the loser, and the loser can become the winner. It requires a winning move that considers not only immediate benefits but also political analytical skills that look into the future.

There has never been a negotiation over the organization of the National Assembly without fierce strategic battles, but the 2016 20th National Assembly organization negotiation left an unprecedented episode. In the 20th general election, the then ruling party Saenuri Party lost the position of the largest party to the Democratic Party by just one seat.

The Democratic Party led with 123 seats over Saenuri Party’s 122 seats but was far from the majority (151 seats). If Saenuri Party had wanted, it could have claimed the Speaker of the National Assembly by leveraging the ruling party premium. This meant they could isolate the Democratic Party by provoking the sentiment of the People’s Party, which had a strained relationship with the Democratic Party.

The 20th National Assembly organization negotiation featured top political experts as players. The People’s Party, holding the casting vote, was represented by Floor Leader Park Ji-won at the negotiation table. Saenuri Party was represented by Floor Leader Jeong Jin-seok. The Democratic Party was represented by Floor Leader Woo Sang-ho.

All three were among the top players in their parties in terms of political experience, political acumen, and analytical skills. Attempting to gain practical benefits through clumsy tricks could backfire. If two of the three floor leaders joined hands, the one who brought ‘cheap tricks’ could end up not even recovering their initial position and be labeled the ‘loser’ of the organization negotiation.

Saenuri Party naturally aimed to secure the Speaker position. The Democratic Party, despite the narrow one-seat difference, tried to reclaim the Speaker position as a symbol of their general election victory. Since 2008, the Democratic Party had not produced a single Speaker. Did the Democratic Party succeed in reclaiming the Speaker position?

The organization negotiation proceeded as a tense battle of wills as expected. At the time, rumors circulated in Yeouido political circles about the Saenuri Party’s most senior member, Seo Cheong-won, becoming Speaker. The Democratic Party stood firm. If the organization was delayed, the political burden would inevitably be greater on the ruling Saenuri Party.

Floor Leader Woo Sang-ho employed a dual strategy of pressure and conciliation to reclaim the Speaker position. He used the People’s Party’s amendment (mediation proposal) to threaten the isolation of Saenuri Party.

On June 7, 2016, at a floor countermeasure meeting, Woo Sang-ho said about the People’s Party’s proposal to first confirm each party’s Speaker candidate and then decide the Speaker by plenary vote before negotiating committee chairs, “They have made a meaningful new proposal, and we are reviewing it in depth.”

On that morning, the Democratic Party held a party meeting and expressed its intention to accept the People’s Party’s proposal to decide the Speaker by plenary vote. Deciding the Speaker by plenary vote is a legally prescribed procedure. The reason this ordinary procedure carries political significance is because it intertwines with invisible negotiation strategies.

If the Democratic Party and the People’s Party formed an alliance based on behind-the-scenes negotiations to pursue mutual benefits, Saenuri Party could be isolated. This was a way to exploit the seat count that made it difficult for Saenuri Party alone to claim the Speaker position.

On June 7 and 8, 2016, the strategic battle among the parties over the 20th National Assembly organization negotiation reached its peak. As the cooperation between the Democratic Party and the People’s Party became visible, Saenuri Party went on alert. Saenuri Party had to find a solution while being wary of opposition party cooperation.

Floor Leader Woo Sang-ho further pressured the cornered Saenuri Party. At the National Assembly emergency countermeasure meeting on June 8, he criticized, “(Saenuri Party) is just asking for the Speaker position, and I felt how irresponsible the ruling party is.”

Politics allows room for negotiation when conflicts reach their peak. On the morning of June 8, Floor Leader Jeong Jin-seok announced, “We will concede the Speaker position to the opposition.” With Seo Cheong-won’s declaration that he would not run for Speaker, the negotiation gained momentum.

Ultimately, Woo Sang-ho’s persistence and pressure strategy resulted in reclaiming the Speaker position. The floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties announced an agreement on the afternoon of June 8. The Speaker was assigned to the Democratic Party, and the Deputy Speakers were assigned to Saenuri Party and the People’s Party respectively.

The standing committees were allocated as follows: the Democratic Party took the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, Environment and Labor Committee, Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Health and Welfare Committee, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, Gender Equality and Family Committee, and Ethics Special Committee.

Saenuri Party took the Steering Committee, Legislation and Judiciary Committee, Planning and Finance Committee, Political Affairs Committee, Safety and Administration Committee, Future Creation, Science, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, Intelligence Committee, and National Defense Committee. The People’s Party, which played the mediator role, took key committees such as the Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee and the Industry, Trade and Energy Committee.

Although Saenuri Party secured practical benefits by taking the Steering Committee as well as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the Planning and Finance Committee, the fact that they gave up the Speaker position left a bitter aftertaste. Saenuri Party could not have imagined at the time of the organization agreement that conceding the Speaker position to the Democratic Party would lead to a fatal backlash. The Speaker from the Democratic Party (Jeong Se-gyun) led the passage of the impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye in December 2016.

There is no ‘what if’ in political history, but if Saenuri Party had secured the Speaker position in the June 2016 National Assembly organization negotiation, would the presidential impeachment have been possible six months later?

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