Six-term lawmaker Cho Jeong-sik elected new Nat'l Assembly speaker
Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea delivers a speech as the new parliamentary speaker at the National Sembly in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
The National Assembly voted Friday to elect Rep. Cho Jeong-sik of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as the new parliamentary speaker.
Rep. Cho, a six-term lawmaker, won 267 out of 276 votes cast during a parliamentary plenary session and will serve as speaker for the second half of the 22nd National Assembly until May 2028.
He was named a party candidate for speaker after winning a majority vote in the party's internal election last month.
In Korea, it is customary for the largest party in terms of parliamentary seats to take the speaker position, with two vice speaker seats divided between the ruling and main opposition parties.
In the 300-member assembly, the DPK currently holds 161 seats, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) holds 110.
The assembly voted to elect four-term DPK Rep. Nam In-soon and four-term PPP Rep. Park Duk-hyum as the vice speakers.