Kim Tae-nyeon Declares Candidacy for National Assembly Speaker: "I Will Be a Speaker Who Gets Things Done, Not Just Ceremonial"

Pledges Automatic Convening of Plenary Sessions and Timely Bill Processing
Emphasizes Institutionalizing and Making Social Dialogue Permanent
Democratic Party Primary on May 13: Three-Way Race with Cho Jeongsik and Park Jiwon

Kim Tae-nyeon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced his candidacy for Speaker of the National Assembly on May 4, presenting himself as a "Speaker who gets things done." Assemblyman Kim stated, "My heart has always raced when I see work to be done, and I am someone who delivers results," adding, "I want to establish the role of Speaker not as a ceremonial position, but as one that excels in actual work."

On this day, Assemblyman Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office to officially declare his candidacy for Speaker. He said, "To fully realize the era of popular sovereignty through institutional reforms and to safeguard Korea's future in the face of major transitions, we need a National Assembly that gets things done," and asserted, "I confidently say that I, Kim Tae-nyeon, am the right person for this role."

Kim Tae-nyeon, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press conference for his candidacy in the Speaker of the National Assembly election at the National Assembly communication office on May 4, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Assemblyman Kim pledged to institutionalize the "Effective National Assembly Act," which includes automatic convening of plenary sessions, processing bills within set deadlines, and systematizing the replacement of committee chairs who deliberately delay proceedings. In addition, he presented campaign pledges such as completing the key policy initiatives of the Lee Jae-myung administration, making constitutional amendments a reality, establishing a new Public Economic Strategy Council involving the ruling and opposition parties, the government, and industry, elevating parliamentary diplomacy through the creation of a National Assembly Office of Foreign Affairs, and promoting Speaker-led social dialogue. In particular, he emphasized that as Speaker, "We must resolve the issues facing our society through social dialogue," and added, "It is necessary to institutionalize and make social dialogue a permanent fixture."

He continued, "I have always negotiated persistently and made decisions boldly, and have always proven myself not with words but with results. I have overcome confrontation and conflict through structural reforms, returned closed politics to the people by opening up the political process, addressed labor reform, industrial innovation, and a fair economy simultaneously, and have been preparing for a major transition early on." He added, "The National Assembly is a place for dialogue, negotiation, compromise, and achieving results," emphasizing, "What I excel at is tenacious negotiation."

The Democratic Party of Korea will select the successor to Speaker Woo Won-sik, whose term ends on May 29. By convention, the Speaker nominee is chosen by the majority party and then formally elected through a plenary session vote. On this day, the Democratic Party will begin accepting nominations for Speaker, and the final candidate will be decided by combining the results of an online vote by party members with voting rights (20%) on May 11 and a vote by National Assembly members (80%) on May 13. This will be the first time in the nation's constitutional history that party members with voting rights participate in the Speaker election. Assemblyman Park Ji-won and Assemblyman Cho Jeong-sik, among others, are also running for Speaker from the Democratic Party.

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