Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Jung-sik, widely regarded as "Lee's pick" within the ruling party, has been selected as the party's candidate for National Assembly Speaker. With a speaker who understands President Lee Jae-myung's governing philosophy set to lead the second half of the parliamentary term, the link between the National Assembly and the government is expected to grow stronger.
Cho, the Democratic Party's most senior lawmaker with six terms, said his top priority would be accelerating legislation, given the backlog of economic and livelihood bills being pushed by the Lee Jae-myung administration. However, cooperation with the opposition is expected to remain a heavy challenge amid ongoing confrontation over issues such as the supplementary investigation authority of the prosecution service and the distribution of standing committee chairs.
Cho emphasized his alignment with the Lee Jae-myung administration from his policy address at the party's general meeting held at the National Assembly on Monday. "The Lee Jae-myung government is proving to the people what a capable government looks like," Cho said. "The second-half National Assembly must complete Korea's grand transition together with this capable government." He introduced himself as "someone who deeply understands the current government's governing philosophy and can share responsibility for it."
Cho, who entered politics in the early 1990s, is the National Assembly's most senior lawmaker and is considered the de facto leader of the pro-Lee faction. He served as the party's secretary-general during Lee's tenure as Democratic Party leader and played a key role as head of the election campaign committee during the presidential race. Since December last year, he has served as Special Political Advisor to the Presidential Office, acting as a communication channel linking the party, government and presidential office until earlier this month. Political circles cite his communication skills with the government and the stability that comes with his seniority as his greatest strengths.
Cho also stressed a "legislative speed war" in step with the Lee Jae-myung administration. "I will accelerate legislation and create a predictable National Assembly," Cho said. "We will swiftly complete the parliamentary organization within June and process 100 percent of the Lee Jae-myung government's national agenda legislation by the end of this year." He added that bills passing each standing committee would clear the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the plenary session within the same month, creating a predictable National Assembly.
Constitutional amendment, which failed to be put to a simultaneous vote with the June 3 local elections due to opposition resistance, will again be pursued with next year as the target. The plan is to form a Constitutional Amendment Special Committee immediately upon taking office and work toward both national consensus and persuading the opposition. Cho also unveiled plans to designate December 3 as "People's Sovereignty Day" and institutionalize social dialogue to build a National Assembly grounded in popular sovereignty. The relocation of the National Assembly to Sejong and the establishment of a Gwangju branch of the National Assembly Library will also be pursued without delay.
Cooperation with the opposition is expected to be a core task for smooth parliamentary operation. The Democratic Party, pointing to delays in bill reviews at standing committees chaired by the People Power Party, is even considering taking over all standing committee chairs in the second half. The People Power Party has pushed back, saying "Stop your appetite for monopoly," making a collision between the ruling and opposition parties inevitable. "The National Assembly Speaker is fundamentally a position that must perform duties neutrally," a political source said. "Mediating opinions amid growing ruling-opposition conflict, including over reform bills, will be a difficult task."
Cho will be formally appointed as National Assembly Speaker through a vote at an upcoming plenary session. For the vice speaker posts, Democratic Party lawmaker Nam In-soon and People Power Party lawmaker Park Duk-hyum were selected as candidates for the ruling and opposition shares, respectively. The Democratic Party plans to hold a plenary session on the 20th of this month to vote on the selection of the parliamentary leadership, but the People Power Party has yet to agree on the schedule.
