Three-Way Race for Democratic Party Speaker: Kim Tae-nyeon, Park Jie-won, and Jo Jung-sik Announce Bids

Kim Tae-nyeon: "I Aim to Establish a Speaker Who Gets Things Done"
Park Jie-won: "The Best and Most Exemplary National Assembly in History"
Jo Jung-sik: "A Speaker with Democratic Values Running Through My Veins"

Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jie-won (both serving their fifth term), along with Jo Jung-sik (sixth term, listed in Korean alphabetical order), all members of the Democratic Party of Korea, declared their candidacy for the Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly in the second half on May 4th. The candidates emphasized their experience and reform-mindedness, expressing their intention to contribute to the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration.

The Democratic Party candidates for Speaker held successive press conferences at the National Assembly on this day to formally announce their bids. Assemblyman Kim stated, "Whenever I work, my heart races, and I have been someone who delivers results. I aspire to establish a model of a Speaker who is effective in work, not just ceremonial." Assemblyman Park stressed, "I will dedicate all of Park Jie-won's proven experience, political acumen, and ability in the National Assembly, administration, intelligence, and inter-Korean relations to create the best and most exemplary National Assembly in the history of the Republic of Korea." Assemblyman Jo declared, "As a Speaker with Democratic Party values running through my veins, my goal is to achieve tangible results for the people in partnership with the Lee Jaemyung administration, secure victory in the 23rd general election, and lay the groundwork for regaining government power."

Jung Changsik, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press conference for his candidacy for the speaker election of the 22nd National Assembly's second half at the National Assembly Communication Office on May 4, 2026. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The candidates pledged to focus on passing livelihood-related legislation, constitutional amendments, and strengthening parliamentary diplomacy. Since their pledges are largely similar, the primary criteria for the intra-party election are expected to be each candidate’s political record, capabilities, and reform credentials.

For the Deputy Speaker race, Assemblywoman Nam Insoon and Assemblyman Min Hongchul, both serving their fourth term, have announced their intention to run.

The Democratic Party will elect a successor to Assemblyman Woo Wonshik, the current Speaker, whose term ends on the 29th. By convention, the Speaker candidate is selected by the National Assembly’s largest party and then confirmed through a plenary vote. On this day, the Democratic Party will accept Speaker candidate applications, and the final candidate will be determined by combining an online vote of party members with voting rights held on the 11th and 12th, and a vote by Democratic Party lawmakers (accounting for 80%) on the 13th.

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