Democratic Party Registers Candidates for Next Floor Leader Today... Virtually Settled on "Han Byungdo Nomination"

Seo Youngkyo, Park Jeong, and Baek Hyeryeon Announce They Will Not Run

The Democratic Party of Korea's upcoming floor leader election appears to be heading toward the nomination of Byungdo Han, the former floor leader, who is seeking re-election.

Byungdo Han, former floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News

On April 27, the Democratic Party of Korea will accept registrations for floor leader candidates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bai Hye-ryeon, who had initially considered running for the position, announced on her social media earlier that morning, "I will not run in this floor leader election." She stated, "The most important task for us is the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and winning the local elections through party unity," adding, "I will do my best in whatever role is given to me on this path."

Seo Young-kyo, another figure mentioned as a potential candidate, also announced her decision not to run on social media the previous day, saying, "I will focus on my roles and duties as the chair of the parliamentary investigation committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee." On the same day, Park Jeong declared on social media, "At this time, the priority is the Democratic Party's victory in the June 3 local elections and the National Assembly by-elections," as he also withdrew from the race.

With all major potential candidates for floor leader deciding not to run, there are now talks within the party about Han's solo candidacy and possible unanimous nomination, as he declared his re-election bid early on. The election will be held through an online vote by party members with voting rights on May 4–5, followed by a parliamentary caucus vote on May 6. The final result will be calculated by combining 80% from the lawmakers' vote and 20% from the party members' vote.

Han, who became floor leader following the by-election in January, has led the party in the National Assembly for about 100 days. He is credited for demonstrating negotiation skills in handling issues such as the prosecution and judicial reform bill and the U.S. investment special law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.