<기사> National Assembly Deputy Speaker Election: Three-Way Contest Among Five-Term Candidates

Jung Jin-seok, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is wearing a mask after finishing his speech at the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 25th, the People Power Party decided to elect a candidate for the National Assembly Vice Speaker position, which became vacant following the resignation of Emergency Response Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok. To this end, candidate registration will take place on the 23rd. Within the party, a three-way contest among five-term lawmakers Kim Young-seon, Seo Byung-soo, and Jeong Woo-taek (in alphabetical order) is expected to be likely.

On the morning of the 21st, the People Power Party held the first meeting of the Election Management Committee to select the National Assembly Vice Speaker candidate and finalized the schedule for the candidate selection. The registration deposit is 10 million won, and the general assembly for selecting the candidate will be held at 11 a.m. on the 25th.

Within the party, since the candidates are highly motivated, there is more weight on the possibility of selection through a primary rather than by acclamation. Among the three, Representative Seo is the eldest and is regarded as having the strongest justification, having previously yielded the first half term of the National Assembly Vice Speaker position to Emergency Response Committee Chairman Jeong. However, some analyses suggest his position has somewhat weakened after resigning as the chair of the National Committee during the party constitution amendment process for transitioning to the Emergency Response Committee system.

Representative Jeong emphasizes that he has the longest legislative experience among the three. He recently appeared on the radio and said, "Representative Kim entered through a by-election after 8 years, and I started my legislative career nearly 6 years earlier than Representative Seo." However, since he is from the same Chungcheong region as Emergency Response Committee Chairman Jeong, persuading lawmakers on this point is expected to be key.

Representative Kim, a former leader of the Grand National Party, the predecessor of the People Power Party, emphasizes the symbolism of being the "first female conservative National Assembly Vice Speaker." The current opposition National Assembly Vice Speaker is female. In a phone call that day, she said, "Many people now hope that the People Power Party should also have a female Vice Speaker," adding, "I am the person who has gone through all the hardships and efforts in this party."

In addition, four-term Representative Hong Moon-pyo is also mentioned as a candidate for the National Assembly Vice Speaker. A first-term lawmaker of the People Power Party said, "It doesn't seem like there is a mood for acclamation," and added, "Since it is likely to proceed by secret ballot, it is difficult to predict the outcome."

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