'This Is My Last Chance' Park Ji-won Says, "I Hope Rivals Cho Jung-sik and Kim Tae-nyeon Gain Experience as Prime Minister or Ministers"

Park Ji-won Announces Candidacy for Speaker at National Assembly
Declares Bid Freely Without Prepared Script
"Says Lawmakers Must Follow the Will of the People and the Party"

Park Ji-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who has thrown his hat into the ring for the Speaker of the second half of the 22nd National Assembly, called for the support of fellow Democratic Party lawmakers on May 4, saying, "I believe that the will of the people and the will of the party are one and the same." Emphasizing that this is his "last opportunity," Park also made remarks aimed at his rivals, such as recommending that they join the Cabinet.

On this day at the National Assembly, Park held a press conference to announce his candidacy for the Speakership of the latter half of the term. While he released his declaration of candidacy via social media, during the press conference Park spoke freely without a script. He cited his lead in media-conducted opinion polls, stating, "Politicians follow the will of the people in politics," and added, "Lawmakers are elected by the collective intelligence of the people—by the will of the people and the support of the party—which is why I do not doubt their intentions."

Park Ji-won, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 4th, declaring his candidacy for the Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly's second half term election. 2026.5.4 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Regarding the operation of the National Assembly, Park stated, "If cooperation is achieved, I will be a gentle Speaker, but if it is not, I will be a strong Speaker." He also expressed his intention to strengthen the National Assembly's Ethics Committee.

Park also mentioned Cabinet participation for Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Cho Jung-sik, who have already announced their candidacy for Speaker. Park said, "Assemblyman Cho is good at mediation, so I hope he can serve as prime minister after Kim Minseok." Regarding Assemblyman Kim, Park commented, "I hope he can gain more experience by joining the Cabinet." He further added, "This is my last chance. Both candidates are in their early 60s, and I hope they will gain experience by serving as prime minister or ministers."

The Democratic Party is set to elect a successor to Woo Won-shik, the current Speaker, whose term ends on May 29. By tradition, the Speaker candidate is selected by the majority party and then officially elected through a plenary vote of the Assembly. The Democratic Party will finalize its Speaker candidate by combining the results of an online vote by party members with voting rights on May 11–12 and a vote by Democratic Party lawmakers (which accounts for 80%) on May 13, following the candidate registration process on this day.

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