The National Assembly’s secretariat will review independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo’s plan to serve on the parliamentary committee for health and welfare affairs, officials said Thursday, casting doubts over whether the newly elected lawmaker will get the committee assignment he wants.

Ahn, who ran for president last year before dropping out to boost the chances of the main opposition candidate, won a parliamentary seat in Seoul’s Nowon C district in the April 24 by-elections.

Earlier this week, both the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) were reported to have agreed to give him a seat on the Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee.

Ahn, the founder of South Korea’s largest anti-virus software firm AhnLab, worked as a medical doctor for several years after graduating from medical school. (Yonhap News)