Jiwon Park Declares Candidacy for Speaker: "I Will Become a Powerful National Assembly Leader"

Candidate Registration on the 4th: "The Speaker Should Be a Senior Statesman... No Personal Politics"

Three-Way Race with Six-Term Jo Jungshik and Five-Term Kim Taenyon; Winner to Be Decided on the 13th

Jiwon Park, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced his candidacy for the next National Assembly Speaker election on the 3rd. As the most senior member of the 22nd National Assembly, serving his fifth term, Park posted on his Facebook page that day, saying, "The best politics is cooperation; if cooperation is not possible, then responsible politics is needed," adding, "I, Jiwon Park, will become a 'powerful Speaker of the National Assembly.'"

Park emphasized, "A 'powerful Speaker' is necessary to revive lost politics and to bring about cooperation," and added, "If cooperation cannot be achieved, I will become a powerful Speaker for the sake of the country, the people, and the success of President Lee Jaemyung."

Jiwon Park, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea

He also specifically cited examples of his experience in cooperation. Park listed the following as his successful cases of cooperation: ▲ the resolution of the longest railroad strike in December 2013, ▲ the unprecedented exercise by the opposition party of the right to recommend an independent counsel to investigate former President Lee Myungbak (MB), which led to MB's arrest, ▲ persuading 62 ruling party lawmakers to vote for the impeachment of former President Park Geunhye, and ▲ the impeachment of former President Yoon Sukyeol. He also pointed to the efforts of then-floor leaders Park Chan-dae, Park Sungjoon, and Kim Yongmin as examples of bipartisan cooperation in the impeachment of former President Yoon.

Park went on to say, "I want to be evaluated based on my experience, competence, and ability," stressing, "I have gained a wide range of expertise in the legislature, administration, and intelligence, and have served three times each as floor leader and as head of the emergency committee in the National Assembly." He continued, "Throughout history, the position of Speaker has always been held by a senior statesman. If I become Speaker, there will be no personal politics for Jiwon Park. There is no need for it."

He also highlighted his role in addressing insurrection-related reforms. Park stated, "As a fresh force and 'gold boy' of the Democratic Party, I have fiercely fought for the three major reforms related to insurrection, and in the past four years, I have appeared on more than 2,100 broadcasts, demonstrating my loyalty to the election and success of President Lee Jaemyung."

Park repeatedly emphasized his favorable position in public opinion polls. He said, "In the most recent four polls and reports, I have consistently ranked first, leading by as much as five to six times among the public and Democratic Party supporters," adding, "Politics succeeds by following public sentiment. Since both the will of the people and the party overwhelmingly support Jiwon Park, it is only natural that the will of the legislators will also follow." He concluded his post by saying, "Jiwon Park is the right person for Speaker of the National Assembly."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea will register candidates for its internal election for Speaker of the National Assembly on the 4th. The candidate will be selected by combining the results of an online vote by party members with voting rights (20%) on May 11-12 and an in-person vote by lawmakers (80%) on May 13. Currently, in addition to Park, six-term lawmaker Jo Jungshik and five-term lawmaker Kim Taenyon have also declared their candidacy.

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