Han Byung-do Marks 100 Days in Office... High Chances of Re-Election in May Floor Leader Race for Democratic Party

by Ji Hyejin

Published 20 Apr.2026 11:35(KST)

Floor Leader Election Scheduled for May 6

As Han Byung-do, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, marks a quiet 100 days since taking office, he is expected to run for a second consecutive term in the upcoming floor leader election, which is now about two weeks away. On the 20th, Han marked his 100th day with no public events, such as a press conference, keeping a low profile.

Byungdo Han, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly on April 16, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

Since the Democratic Party has scheduled the next floor leader election for May 6, Han is expected to temporarily step down once the party’s executive committee forms the Floor Leader Election Management Committee, then run again for re-election.

Within the party, the prevailing view is that Han’s chances of re-election are high. He is credited not only with smoothly managing relations between the party, government, and the presidential office since taking office, but also with accelerating the processing of key livelihood and reform bills. In fact, since Han became floor leader, important legislation such as the three judicial reform bills, the Prosecution Office and Investigation Office Acts, and the three “foreign exchange stabilization” bills have all passed the National Assembly’s plenary session.

Han is also recognized for opening channels for bipartisan cooperation on various issues, including the supplementary budget, political reform, and the Middle East crisis. Han and Song Eon-seok, Floor Leader of the People Power Party, have agreed to hold regular Monday luncheon meetings to address the prolonged crisis caused by the ongoing Middle East war. Regarding the ruling party’s upcoming floor leader election, there is speculation that lawmakers such as Park Jung and Baek Hye-ryeon may run again, but some say Han could even be nominated unopposed.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Speaker election, scheduled for May 13, has narrowed to a three-way race, with six-term lawmaker Cho Jeong-sik and five-term lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Ji-won competing behind the scenes. For both the floor leader and assembly speaker elections, the results will be determined by a combination of 80% of the votes from sitting members and 20% from party members with voting rights.