▲ Rep. Kim Joon-hyung
Rep. Kim Joon-hyung, former head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy during the Moon Jae-in administration, has been elected as the new floor leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party.
Floor Leader Kim was elected unanimously by the party's 12 lawmakers after running as the sole candidate in a general meeting of lawmakers held today (June 16).
In his inaugural remarks, Kim emphasized solidarity with allied parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea.
"Let us join forces once again for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration—a government of national sovereignty that we created together—to restore democracy and people's livelihoods, and to completely eradicate insurrectionist forces," Kim said in his acceptance speech. "We will cooperate and provide support whenever necessary for the sake of reform and progress in the Republic of Korea."
When asked about potential solidarity or merger discussions with the Democratic Party during a meeting with reporters after the general meeting, Kim pointed out, "It seemed as though the Democratic Party was acting unilaterally through external media without internal deliberation or party-to-party discussions."
He added, "I find it quite insulting that political engineering or internal power struggles within the Democratic Party are occurring (during the process of discussing solidarity or integration). I will firmly establish our principles."
Nevertheless, he stated, "If it is for the same goal of the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and the democratic reform camp, I am willing to discuss and consider a merger."
"The Democratic Party has upcoming events such as its national convention, so we will be watching," he added, noting that "(discussions on solidarity or integration) are matters that can be addressed when the timing and conditions are ripe."
Regarding legislative cooperation with the Democratic Party in the second half of the National Assembly, he said, "I believe the power of our 12 seats has grown because the Democratic Party lost some seats (in the June 3 election). We will cooperate where we can and make demands where necessary."
Citing the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act as an urgent priority, he said, "We will focus all our efforts on issues regarding (prosecutorial) supplementary investigation rights and the transfer of all cases."
He also emphasized, "Now that the new National Assembly leadership has been launched, I will try to work with our lawmakers to quickly activate the Special Committee on Political Reform."
An international relations scholar by background, Floor Leader Kim served as the head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy under the Moon Jae-in administration and entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative for the Rebuilding Korea Party in the 22nd general election.
He previously served as the chairman of the policy committee under the former floor leadership.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.