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| Newly elected Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo delivers an acceptance speech during a plenary session at the National Assembly, Monday. Joint Press Corps |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Five-term lawmaker Kim Jin-pyo of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been elected as the new speaker of the National Assembly, Monday, as rival parties reached a last-minute deal on the formation of the new leadership after ending weeks of deadlock.
Rep. Kim garnered 255 out of 275 votes in a plenary session held at 2 p.m., winning the position to lead the second half of the 21st National Assembly until May 2024.
The election came 35 days after the legislative branch had remained stalled amid conflicts between the two rival parties ― the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the DPK ― on who will take which key committee chair posts, such as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Earlier, the DPK offered to hand over the chief post of the judiciary committee in exchange for the PPP's cooperation in launching a special committee on judiciary reform. But the ruling party rejected the proposal.
After the two sides failed to reach a compromise for over a month, the DPK, which controls 170 out of 300 assembly seats, had been considering holding an extra session on Monday to elect a new speaker unilaterally.
But just hours ahead of the session, the DPK accepted a PPP proposal that it would cooperate for the election of the speaker and vice speaker if the opposition party promises to name chiefs of legislative committees based on mutual agreement.
Born in 1947, Rep. Kim is currently serving as a lawmaker representing a constituency in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. He served previously as a finance minister and an education minister during the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
Upon his election, Rep. Kim gave up his DPK membership, as the National Assembly Act requires the speaker to become an independent lawmaker to ensure political neutrality.
Meanwhile, four-term lawmaker Rep. Kim Young-joo of the DPK and five-term lawmaker Chung Jin-suk of the PPP were elected as vice speakers. Kim became the second female lawmaker to fill the post following DPK's Rep. Kim Sang-hee, while Chung will serve his second term after taking the position in the first half of the 21st National Assembly.
