DPK to elect new floor leader on May 8

Candidates in the race for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader participate in a seminar at the National Assembly, Tuesday. From left are, Reps. Kim Tae-nyeon, Lee In-young and Noh Woong-rae. / Yonhap

By Park Ji-won

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) will elect its new floor leader Wednesday as parties are preparing to draw up campaign strategies for the general elections in April 2020.

The winner will be among Reps. Lee In-young, Noh Woong-rae and Kim Tae-nyeon, all three-term lawmakers. The election is reportedly a neck-and-neck race between Lee and Kim, who are both known to be loyalists of President Moon Jae-in. Lee is allegedly garnering broad support from Moon’s supporters while Kim is backed by Moon’s longtime aides including former chairwoman Choo Mi-ae and incumbent chairman Lee Hae-chan.

Lee used to be one of the most famous student activists who stood up against dictatorship in the 1980s, and has strong negotiation skills, while Kim has his advantages in coming up with strategies backed by his experience as a chief policymaker.

The DPK lawmakers will begin the election to replace Rep. Hong Young-pyo at 3 p.m. If all candidates fail to win a majority vote, the party will hold another round of voting with two candidates who won the most and second-most votes.

The winner, during a one-year term, will be tasked with resolving the recent dissonance with the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, especially in the wake of a controversy over fast-tracking reform bills. Most of all, the new floor leader will have to handle campaigns for the 2020 elections in close cooperation with the Moon Jae-in administration.