DP’s Woo Won-sik wins assembly speaker candidacy

May 17, 2024, 10:25 am

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Rep. Woo Won-shik of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP)

AsiaToday reporter Lee Ha-eun

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday selected five-term lawmaker Woo Won-shik as its candidate for the next National Assembly speaker. Woo is expected to become the speaker of the 22nd National Assembly, as it is customary for the party holding the most parliamentary seats to take the speaker position.

The DP held an election to select the assembly speaker at the general meeting of the National Assembly. Woo beat Choo Mi-ae, a six-term lawmaker and a member of a faction close to DP leader Lee Jae-myung, who was considered the likely winner, after two other pro-Lee candidates Jung Sung-ho and Cho Jeong-sik dropped out of the race.

Woo reportedly won 89 votes out of 169 votes in total, beating Choo with 80 votes. Woo’s surprising victory comes following the backlash against the DP leader’s intention and antipathy of individual lawmakers towards Choo.

Following his primary win, Woo said the National Assembly should do its jobs according to what the public wants. He served as the party’s floor leader from 2017-2018 under the then Moon Jae-in administration.

Meanwhile, Rep. Lee Hack-young, a four-term lawmaker with experience as a student and social activist, was selected as the DP’s candidate for the assembly’s vice speaker, beating four-term lawmakers Rep. Min Hong-cheol and Nam In-soon.

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