Ruling party set to elect new floor leader
From left, Reps. Han Byung-do, Jin Sung-joon, Back Hye-ryun and Park Jeung pose before their televised debate held at JTBC Studio in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Yonhap
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) was set to elect a new floor leader on Sunday after Rep. Kim Byung-kee resigned from the post amid mounting allegations of misconduct.
An online vote among general party members with voting rights, which kicked off the previous day, will conclude at 4 p.m., with a separate vote among DPK representatives scheduled for the afternoon to elect a new floor leader, according to party officials.
If none of the four representatives running for the post wins a majority, the party will hold a runoff vote to name a new floor leader later in the day.
Reps. Han Byung-do, Jin Sung-joon, Park Jeung and Back Hye-ryun — all in their third terms — are running for floor leader. The new floor leader will serve out the remainder of the resigned predecessor's term until May.
The vote came after Rep. Kim resigned as the DPK's floor leader last month amid snowballing allegations, including claims that he received preferential treatment and abused his power, which are currently under police investigation.
Also on Sunday, the DPK was set to hold a vote to elect three members of its supreme council to fill the vacancies left by those who resigned to run for regional elections in June.
Four lawmakers are running for the seats, including two-term Reps. Moon Jeong-bog and Kang Deuk-gu.