The floor leaders of the country’s two major parties officially stepped down Thursday as the parties geared up for a leadership change.
The press conferences for ruling Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Park Chan-dae and People Power Party Rep. Kweon Seong-dong, which were held within hours of each other, came a week after President Lee Jae-myung took office following his victory in the early election triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
As Park wrapped up a one-year term as floor leader, he revealed plans to run for the chairmanship of the ruling party and called his experience “a glorious journey” alongside the South Korean people. The three-term lawmaker and a close aide of Lee had assumed the role of floor leader in May 2024. He became acting chair after Lee stepped down as party leader in April to run for president.
“The Democratic Party of Korea has become a responsible ruling party which has President Lee Jae-myung on our side,” Park said during a press conference held at the National Assembly, a day before his term as floor leader was to expire.
The Democratic Party currently holds a 171-seat majority in the 300-seat Assembly.
“We must walk toward completing the national task of ending the insurrection, recovering the livelihoods of the people, achieving an economic recovery and the unity of the people, together with our great people who succeeded in protecting South Korea once again,” he added.
Park lauded the three contentious special counsel investigation bills passed by the Democratic Party in the Assembly and signed into law by Lee, which mandate investigations into several allegations against Yoon, his wife Kim Keon Hee and the previous administration. All three bills were reintroduced to the legislature after being vetoed by Yoon when he was president.
“The special counsel investigation bills continuously pursued by the Democratic Party were the biggest threat to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, were they not?” Park said. “President Lee Jae-myung has finally promulgated the three special counsel investigations, which are the insurrection probe, the Kim Keon Hee probe and the investigation into the death of a Marine — it’s an outcome of a long struggle that has continued since last year.”
The Democratic Party is scheduled to elect a new floor leader Friday.
Meanwhile, Kweon, who announced his resignation earlier in June following the election loss of former People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, denounced Yoon’s failed Dec. 3 martial law bid and expressed hopes that his party would “move beyond” the current internal rift.
A growing divide has recently been observed within the conservative party between the pro-Yoon faction and others over issues including who should take responsibility for its election loss.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law bid was illegal and a terribly wrong political decision,” the five-term lawmaker said at the Assembly. “I still cannot understand why (Yoon) declared martial law.”
While Kweon was viewed as a supporter of Yoon within the party, he declined to be labeled as such. “I played a noticeable part in the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the labels of ‘pro-Yoon’ and 'Yoon's aide’ have always followed me — but I have never flattered the president nor received any special treatment.”
Kweon wrapped up the conference by saying that he hopes the “People Power Party would now move beyond the swamp of division and that each and every one of its lawmakers would become elites who would (work for) the party.”
Kweon was elected as floor leader in December.
This marked the second time Kweon served as the People Power Party’s floor leader. Previously, he served from April to September 2022.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
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