Rival parties appoint new leadership to brace for next parliament

The rival parties appointed new leadership roles on Friday, with the main opposition electing its new floor leader, while an ex-deputy minister took the helm of the ruling party, as they brace for the next parliament.

The Democratic Party of Korea elected Rep. Park Chan-dae, a current two-term lawmaker reelected for another term in the April 10 parliamentary elections and a close aide of main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, as its new floor leader at an intra-party general meeting held around noon.

A total of 170 out of 171 politicians who were elected in the latest election participated in the vote, for which Park was the sole floor leader candidate for the incoming parliament. The party, however, said the number of votes Park received was classified.

Park will replace Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo, who served as the main opposition’s floor leader for the past seven months.

Following the announcement of his win, Park pledged to revisit several bills that were vetoed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, signaling an inevitable prolonged clash between the opposition and the current administration.

“I plan to pursue (the legislative process) of several bills that President Yoon exercised his veto power on as soon as the new parliament is sworn in,” Park said in his speech.

He pledged to help his party acquire leadership roles on the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committees, which are panels that hold the power to approve bills before they are passed onto a plenary vote.

On the other side of the political sphere, former Deputy Prime Minister Hwang Woo-yea was officially sworn in as the new interim leader of the ruling People Power Party in an intra-party leadership meeting held in the morning.

Hwang’s appointment comes some three weeks after the former leader of the party’s emergency leadership committee Han Dong-hoon stepped down following the party’s crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections.

Hwang vowed to bring reform to his party and foster harmony among the presidential office, the government and the rival parties.

“I plan to pursue (a plan) that would bring an innovation, which is more than a reform to the (ruling) party,” Hwang said in a press conference held at the party’s headquarters in western Seoul.

The former five-term lawmaker, who served as standing adviser to the party, is now tasked to lead the committee as the party heads into a national convention to elect a new party leader. The party's national convention is projected to take place in late June or early July, according to observers.