National Assembly elects new leaders

By Lee Tae-hoon

Staff reporter

Park Hee-tae, a six-term lawmaker, has been elected the new speaker of the National Assembly, in a plenary session, Tuesday. He replaces Kim Hyong-o.

Park was the only candidate running for parliamentary leadership, which typically goes to the majority party under a bipartisan agreement. He won 236 of 249 votes cast.

He will lead the National Assembly without party affiliation for the two-year remainder of the 18th National Assembly as the speaker is prohibited from having party membership.

A native of Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Park previously worked as a prosecutor. He is known for his sharp tongue.

The Assembly also selected Reps. Chung Eui-hwa of the governing Grand National Party and Hong Jae-hyong of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) as new vice presidents. The two will retain their party membership.

Chung, 62, is a four-term lawmaker, who practiced neurosurgery before he made a career move in 1996 to run for the National Assembly.

A three-term lawmaker, Hong, 72, served as finance minister in the mid-1990s before being elected to his first parliamentary term in 2000.

As to the chairs of the standing committees, the GNP took 11 of 18 posts, while the DP secured six. The remaining one went to the Liberty Forward Party (LFP).

Although their tenures are guaranteed for two years, some of the new committee chairmen, who belong to the GNP, have agreed to step down after one year to allow fellow lawmakers equal opportunity.