Four-Term Lawmaker Park Deokhum Elected as Opposition Deputy Speaker for Second Half of National Assembly... Ruling Party Vote Soon

Ruling Party to Hold Speaker Candidate Election Today

Three-Way Race Among Park Jiwon, Cho Jeongsik, and Kim Taenyeon

Park Deokhum, a four-term lawmaker from the People Power Party representing Boeun, Okcheon, Yeongdong, and Goesan counties in North Chungcheong Province, was elected on May 13 as the opposition candidate for deputy speaker of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea will also select its own candidates for National Assembly Speaker and the ruling party’s share of the deputy speakership later this afternoon.

The People Power Party held a general meeting at the National Assembly in the morning and elected Representative Park as the opposition's candidate for deputy speaker. The race for the deputy speaker nomination was a three-way contest among Representatives Park, Cho Kyungtae (six terms), and Cho Bae-sook (five terms). Park received 59 votes, defeating Cho Kyungtae, who garnered 25 votes, and Cho Bae-sook, who received 17 votes.

Park Deokhum, a lawmaker of the People Power Party, poses for a commemorative photo after being elected as a candidate for the Vice Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly’s second half during a party meeting held at the National Assembly on May 13. From left: Jang Donghyuk, party leader; Park; Song Eunseok, floor leader. May 13, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin.

Born in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, Representative Park has a background in the construction industry and first entered the 19th National Assembly. He has since been re-elected for four consecutive terms. While serving as a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, he left the party amid conflict-of-interest allegations that his family business received contracts from agencies overseen by the committee, but was later reinstated after being cleared of wrongdoing. Most recently, he has served as chair of the nomination management committee.

Representative Park stated, “From the New Korea Party to the People Power Party, I have steadfastly defended the conservative party for more than 30 years,” adding, “I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility as I take on the role of deputy speaker at such a critical time.”

The Democratic Party will convene a general meeting this afternoon to select its candidates for National Assembly Speaker and the ruling party’s deputy speaker. The ruling party’s National Assembly leadership candidates will be determined by a combination of an online vote by rights-holding party members held on May 11–12 (20%) and an in-person vote by lawmakers today (80%).

This marks the first time in history that party member votes will be factored into the selection process for National Assembly Speaker candidates. The race for speaker is a three-way contest among Representatives Park Jie-won (five terms), Cho Jeong-sik (six terms), and Kim Tae-nyeon (five terms), listed in order of their candidate numbers. In the deputy speaker election, Representatives Nam Insoon (four terms) and Min Hongcheol (four terms) are running.

Meanwhile, the plenary session to elect the National Assembly leadership could be held on May 20. The Democratic Party plans to conduct a vote on the matter that day. However, the People Power Party maintains that the plenary session date should be decided through bipartisan agreement, leaving room for further debate.

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