The Democratic Party of Korea elected Rep. Han Byung-do as its new floor leader on Monday. Han, who had served as the immediate previous floor leader, earned the distinction of becoming the first floor leader in the party's history to win a consecutive term. He now faces pressing challenges, including negotiations over parliamentary committee assignments and coordinating the so-called "Yoon Suk-yeol administration fabricated indictment special prosecutor bill."
Han was re-elected as the party's top parliamentary official at a general meeting of lawmakers held at the National Assembly on Monday. The election, in which Han ran unopposed, combined 80% lawmaker votes with 20% votes from registered party members. Specific vote percentages were not disclosed. So Byung-hoon, chair of the party's election management committee, said, "Based on valid voting results, he was elected as the Democratic Party's third floor leader of the 22nd National Assembly with an overwhelming majority." His term runs until May next year, lasting one year. Han reappointed Chun Joon-ho as senior deputy floor leader for operations, Kim Han-gyu as senior deputy floor leader for policy, and Jeon Yong-gi as senior deputy floor leader for communications.
"To ensure the stable operation of the Lee Jae-myung administration, we must complete all major government agenda legislation by December this year. This is the golden time," Han said Monday. "After the local elections, we will again activate an emergency legislative system." He added, "The top priority is winning the local elections," emphasizing that "we must demonstrate the Democratic Party's competence with a lower posture, a more humble attitude, and a more earnest heart."
Regarding the so-called "Yoon Suk-yeol administration prosecution fabricated indictment special prosecutor bill" currently being pushed by the Democratic Party, which has become the biggest political issue recently, Han indicated his intent to handle it after the June 3 local elections. In his acceptance speech, Han said, "A national consensus has been formed on the need for a special prosecutor," but added, "Regarding the timing, procedure, and content of the special prosecutor bill, we will gather opinions from the public and party members after the local elections and make a judgment after sufficient deliberation." President Lee Jae-myung had previously emphasized deliberation and lent support to the "postponement theory" out of concerns over the negative impact on the election.
Within the parliamentary arena, Han is expected to focus on negotiations for the second-half committee structure of the 22nd National Assembly. With the terms of first-half standing committee chairs ending at the end of this month, the party plans to swiftly enter negotiations with the opposition to avoid any parliamentary vacuum. Han had previously pointed to the People Power Party's lack of cooperation in committee activities and suggested the possibility of the Democratic Party monopolizing all 18 committee chairmanships. However, within the party, there is a cautious response regarding actual monopolization in favor of cooperation with the opposition. Senior Deputy Floor Leader Jeon said, "Nothing has been decided (on the committee negotiation approach), and we will organize our plans going forward."
After the local elections, amending the Criminal Procedure Act to determine whether to grant supplementary investigation authority to the prosecution is cited as a major task. In his pre-vote policy speech, Han listed his accomplishments including the second comprehensive special prosecutor and the Public Prosecution Office and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency laws, saying, "We have firmly completed reform legislation," and pledged, "Through amending the Criminal Procedure Act, I will fit the last piece of the puzzle for prosecution reform."
In addition, if party leader Chung Chung-rae seeks re-election, Han will serve as acting party leader and take responsibility for managing the August national convention. As a clash is expected between Chung's side and non-mainstream factions, observers say Han's mediation capabilities will become more important than ever.
Han, a native of Iksan in North Jeolla Province, is a member of the "86 generation" (born in the 1960s and attended university in the 1980s) student activist group, and is regarded as moderate and reasonable. A three-term lawmaker, he was elected as the new floor leader in January after former floor leader Kim Byung-kee stepped down. During his tenure, he handled major issues including prosecution and judicial reform bills, the U.S. investment special act, and the war-related supplementary budget bill. He served as senior secretary for political affairs under the Moon Jae-in administration and won consecutive victories in Iksan-B district of North Jeolla Province in the 21st and 22nd general elections. As both a pro-Moon figure and someone close to President Lee Jae-myung as part of the pro-Lee faction, he is seen as playing a bridging role between the presidential office and party leader Chung.
