The Democratic Party of Korea (DP) secured a sweeping victory in the June 3 local elections and parliamentary by-elections, gaining momentum for the ruling bloc to lead the second-half National Assembly reorganization and to advance legislation tied to the government's policy agenda. Entering the second year of its term, the Lee Jae-myung administration and the ruling party are expected to accelerate the passage of reform and livelihood bills on the back of stable governing momentum, focusing on delivering tangible results.
According to political sources on Tuesday, the most pressing issue facing the National Assembly after the elections is the second-half reorganization of its committee structure. The rival parties have agreed to convene a plenary session on June 5 to elect the next Assembly speaker and deputy speakers, but they have yet to settle the allocation of the 18 standing committee chairmanships. As a result, the contest between the parties over the chairs of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the National Policy Committee, the Strategy and Finance Committee, and the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee is expected to intensify.
The DP is seen as having gained the upper hand in the reorganization talks based on the election outcome. The June 3 local elections were the first nationwide vote held a year after the current administration took office and effectively served as a midterm assessment of state affairs. With the victory, the government and the ruling party — already wielding legislative and executive authority — have now added local government power, securing strong momentum to drive state affairs while maintaining the legislative initiative.
Within the DP, there is a particularly strong sentiment that the chairmanship of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee must be retained at all costs. The committee serves as the final gateway that bills passed by other standing committees must clear before reaching the plenary session. Since it directly handles follow-up legislation for prosecution reform — a core task of the Lee Jae-myung administration — and a special prosecutor bill regarding alleged fabricated indictments by prosecutors under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, a consensus has formed within the party that the chairmanship cannot be conceded.
The DP is also setting its sights on the economic committees. The party views that during the first half of the National Assembly, several committees chaired by the People Power Party (PPP) — including the National Policy Committee, the Strategy and Finance Committee, and the Trade and Industry Committee — failed to function properly, delaying the passage of major livelihood and economic bills. The calculation is that the DP must also secure the economic committee chairmanships to push forward reforms in the financial and capital markets, improvements to corporate governance, and bills aimed at industrial revitalization. A sense of urgency within the party — that swift legislative support is needed for livelihood recovery as ordinary citizens face mounting pain from high inflation and high interest rates — is also at play.
However, it remains uncertain whether the second-half reorganization talks will proceed smoothly. The PPP is expected to do its utmost to defend the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chairmanship, citing the convention under which the Assembly speaker is taken by the largest party and the judiciary committee chair by the second-largest party. The PPP argues that if the supermajority ruling party takes the judiciary committee chairmanship on top of the speakership, the opposition's check-and-balance function would be effectively neutralized.
Internal dynamics within the opposition following the elections are also seen as a variable. If disappointing results trigger calls for leadership accountability, resolving internal conflict is likely to emerge as the top priority. PPP floor leader Song Eon-seok recently signaled the possibility of an early resignation, telling the media, "I will humbly accept the election results and decide on my own future." Should discussions on overhauling the leadership, including the floor leader, gain traction, the timeline for the second-half reorganization talks could also be delayed.
If the reorganization negotiations drag on, voices within the DP calling for the party to take all standing committee chairmanships are expected to grow louder, on the view that the golden window for legislating on the state agenda must not be missed. DP floor leader Han Byung-do stressed on May 5, "We must support state affairs with legislation as swift as a flash of lightning," adding, "Major state-agenda legislation must be completed by December this year." The DP also has a precedent: when reorganization talks collapsed at the start of the 21st National Assembly in 2020, it took all 18 standing committee chairmanships. That said, monopolizing the chairmanships could be framed as "legislative steamrolling" and provoke a backlash from moderate voters, so the party is expected to work on building sufficient justification.
