Three-term lawmaker Rep. Woo Yoon-keun was elected as the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s new floor leader on Thursday as the party seeks to normalize operations.
Woo, who is considered to be loosely associated with the hard-line pro-Roh Moo-hyun faction, ran against two-term Rep. Rhee Mok-hee and four-term Rep. Lee Jong-kul.
“I will not lean to one side and achieve balance to make a rational and refined opposition party. I will make an opposition party that communicates with the people,” Woo said in his acceptance speech.
“I will not criticize for the sake of it, or without alternatives. (I) ensure that the opposition party develops policy alternatives. In that regard, (I) will engage in legislative activities aimed at economic development centered on household income.”
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| Woo Yoon-keun |
Woo received 64 votes, narrowly passing the 60-vote requirement to win the election.
Woo will replace Rep. Park Young-sun, who stepped down as the floor leader on Oct. 2, five months after her election. The three-term lawmaker’s role as the chief of the emergency committee has been filled by Rep. Moon Hee-sang, who held the same role after the presidential election defeat.
Park’s leadership came into question during the process of negotiating the special Sewol bill with the ruling party. Although she had reached agreements on two occasions with the Saenuri Party, both were rejected by the families of Sewol accident’s victims. The second was also voted down by NPAD lawmakers, dealing a severe blow to Park.
The new floor leader will have to hit the ground running. The delayed parliamentary audit, which the parties consider crucial for getting the upper hand, is underway while the NPAD has failed to pull up its ratings despite the name change and leadership changes.
The main opposition has been struggling since the 2012 presidential election despite taking on a new name after merging with Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo.
The party’s approval rating currently stands at 20 percent, 24 percentage points lower than the ruling Saenuri Party, according to the most recent Gallup Korea report.
The new floor leader is also tasked with handling factionalism that has plagued the main opposition. Although both hard-liners with connections to late President Roh Moo-hyun took a backseat after the 2012 presidential election, they are considered to have played a significant role in weakening Park leadership with prominent figures including Rep. Moon Jae-in openly questioning her decision in the Sewol bill negotiations.
The ruling Saenuri Party, for its part, expressed hopes that the NPAD would take on a cooperative stance with Woo as the floor leader, but criticized its part in committee session delays.
“A number of committees are having trouble over the (parliamentary audit) witnesses. It is hoped that the election of the new floor leader will be an opportunity to take the parliament out of wasteful argument,” Saenuri Party floor spokesperson Rep. Kim Hyun-sook said.
By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)
