Who are they?
Lee Wan-koo is a Saenuri Party National Assemblyman representing the constituency of Buyeo-Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province. A former civil servant and chief of police for North and South Chungcheong Provinces, Representative Lee is also the former governor of South Chungcheong (2006-09). As Governor, Lee is best remembered for his vocal resistance to then President Lee Myung-bak’s decision to alter plans for Sejong City, culminating in his resignation in 2009. Representative Lee recently returned to politics when he successfully ran in the 2013 by-election for the constituency of Buyeo-Cheongyang.
Park Young-sun is a National Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) National Assemblywoman representing the constituency of Guro 2nd in Seoul. A former journalist for broadcaster MBC, Park entered politics in 2004 as a proportional representative for the now defunct Uri Party. Now in her third term in the National Assembly, Representative Park is perhaps best known for her frequent confrontations with the Lee Myung-bak administration over allegations of corruption. Particularly, her visibility and initiative in pursuing the linkages between the President and the BBK stock price manipulation incident.
The National Assembly of South Korea, where Representatives Lee and Park now hold key positions as floor leaders. Source: Wikimedia user frakorea, used under a creative commons license.
Why have they been in the news?
On May 8, the Saenuri Party and the NPAD announced that Lee and Park had been elected as their respective floor leaders in the National Assembly, starting their two-year terms on May 15. Both individuals are noted not only for their relative experience but also their similarly pugnacious political style. In the case of Representative Lee, the media has also been noted that he is a close ally and confidante to President Park. Many have cited that the relationship likely started when they worked closely to retain the original plans for Sejong City laid out by the late President Roh Moo-hyun.
What can we expect from them?
As the leaders of their respective parties in the legislature, floor leaders, much like their U.S. counterparts the Senate majority and minority leader, manage their party’s legislative and executive agenda in the National assembly. This means that they wield considerable influence in setting the tone of national politics. Hence, rather than looking to a period of bipartisanship, it seems much likelier that given the decision of picking floor leaders known for their confrontational style, the Saenuri Party and NPAD are gearing up for a contentious period in South Korean Politics. This assessment is further strengthened when considering the selection of a close ally to be President Park’s “point man” in the national assembly, indicating that this perception may extend to the Blue house as well.
