National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik declares the second plenary session of the May extraordinary National Assembly closed at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 8. [YONHAP]
Three lawmakers from the Democratic Party (DP) — Cho Jeong-sik, six-term lawmaker; Park Jie-won, five-term lawmaker; and Kim Tae-nyeon, five-term lawmaker — have entered the race to become National Assembly speaker for the second half of the 22nd Assembly, a position that will shape parliament over the next two years. The DP, which has traditionally selected its speaker candidate solely through a vote of party lawmakers, has revised the process this time to allocate 80 percent of the vote to lawmakers and 20 percent to party members. Since the DP holds a parliamentary majority, victory in the party primary effectively guarantees the speakership. Party-member voting began yesterday, yet all three candidates appear more focused on pledging loyalty to the administration of President Lee Jae Myung than on ensuring neutral management of the Assembly or fostering cooperation with the opposition. In their rush to appeal to hard-line party supporters, they seem to have forgotten the very responsibilities of the office they seek.
Cho, who served as secretary general of the DP under then-party leader Lee and later as a presidential adviser, said in a media interview that while “the speaker must remain neutral,” a speaker from the ruling party should still “work in step with the government,” adding that speed matters more than bipartisan cooperation in the legislative process. Park likewise argued that when standing committees chaired by the opposition refuse to convene meetings and block legislation, “responsible politics” requires firm action if cooperation proves impossible. Kim, who as floor leader during the 21st National Assembly helped orchestrate the DP’s takeover of all standing committee chairmanships, has also signaled that he would not rule out another monopolization of committee leadership by the ruling party. Park has even proposed revising filibuster rules to further expand the speaker’s authority.
Under the National Assembly Act, the speaker may not retain party membership while serving in office. The purpose is to safeguard the speaker’s political neutrality and ensure the fair operation of parliament. When the law was revised in 2002 to introduce the provision, lawmakers explicitly explained that the measure was intended “to guarantee the neutrality of the speaker and enhance the stature of the National Assembly.” It reflected painful lessons from earlier periods when partisan use of the speaker’s powers led to parliamentary paralysis and even threatened constitutional order. Political confrontation today is more severe than ever. Yet senior lawmakers aspiring to the speakership are openly volunteering to serve as the ruling party’s shock troops. That is deeply troubling.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik explains a proposed amendment to the Constitution during the first plenary session of the May extraordinary session of the National Assembly on May 7 in Yeouido, western Seoul. [YONHAP]
The candidates have all pledged to push constitutional revision bills, but have they not already witnessed how even relatively uncontroversial constitutional proposals collapse in a parliament devoid of compromise? Those who openly vow to steer the Assembly along partisan lines, rather than patiently mediate conflict between the ruling and opposition parties, are unqualified to lead the legislature.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
댓글
0