Rep. Han Byung-do, who served as floor leader for 100 days following the resignation of Rep. Kim Byung-kee, stepped down from the position on Tuesday and declared his bid for a second term as floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party.
"I am stepping down from the floor leader position to fulfill my responsibility on the mounting pending issues," Han said at a press conference at the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon. "I will seek a path to contribute more significantly to the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and the victory of the Democratic Party."
"There is a saying, 'yusiyujong (有始有終),' which means that once something is started, it must be seen through to the end," Han said. "The Democratic Party must tighten its shoelaces to support President Lee Jae-myung's state affairs."
"After the local elections end, we must again accelerate legislation," he stressed. "We must complete the legislation of national agenda tasks by December to support stable state affairs management."
Asked whether the Democratic Party would take all standing committee chairmanships if he succeeds in his reelection bid, Han said, "If standing committees are used as tools for political strife, I think allocation (with the opposition) is meaningless," adding that "the 'divvying-up' approach should be reviewed."
At the same time, he added, "I will consult with the opposition, discuss with the newly elected National Assembly Speaker, and go through internal debate to proceed in accordance with basic principles."
Regarding whether he would pursue a special prosecutor probe into allegations of fabricated indictments by the prosecution if reelected, Han responded, "Once the (related) parliamentary investigation ends, we will calmly proceed according to the law and principles without considering political gains or losses." He added, "The review (for a special prosecutor) has already begun."
The Democratic Party's constitution and bylaws do not separately specify a resignation deadline before the primary when seeking reelection as floor leader.
However, Han is said to have decided to resign for "fair competition" as the party began making its primary plans visible, including launching procedures to establish an election management committee.
The Democratic Party's next floor leader election will be held on the 6th of next month.
Until a successor is elected, Chief Deputy Floor Leader Chun Jun-ho will serve as acting floor leader.
Han, who is considered to have a neutral stance within the party, has been evaluated as having managed parliamentary affairs smoothly, and as a result, some quarters have floated the possibility of his uncontested nomination.
At the same time, some observers continue to mention the possibility of candidacies from four-term Rep. Seo Young-kyo, who chairs the Special Committee for Parliamentary Investigation into Fabricated Indictments, as well as three-term Reps. Park Jung and Baek Hye-ryun, who ran in the previous floor leader election but lost.
