The National Assembly on Thursday picked Rep. Joo Ho-young of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as one of its deputy speakers while also selecting the chairs of seven parliamentary committees allocated to the PPP.
Joo, a six-term lawmaker, won the approval of 269 out of 283 lawmakers in attendance during a plenary session of the National Assembly, held shortly after he was nominated as a deputy speaker candidate in a general meeting of PPP lawmakers.
The Assembly also selected Rep. Yoon Han-hong as chair of the political committee, Rep. Song Eon-seok as chair of the finance committee, Rep. Kim Seok-ki as chair of the foreign affairs committee, Rep. Sung Il-jong as chair of the defense committee, Rep. Lee Chul-gyu as chair of the industry committee, Rep. Shin Sung-bum as chair of the intelligence committee and Rep. Lee In-seon as chair of the gender equality committee.
The appointments come after the PPP on Monday ended its weekslong boycott of all parliamentary proceedings held in protest of the main opp
osition Democratic Party (DP)’s unilateral allocation of committee chairs.
Earlier this month, the DP unilaterally selected the chiefs of 11 parliamentary committees, including three key committees, from among its own lawmakers and proposed that the PPP chair the seven remaining committees.
Rep. Woo Won-shik was also chosen at the time as National Assembly speaker and DP Rep. Lee Hack-young as the other deputy speaker.
Joo will serve as deputy assembly speaker for the first half of the current Assembly term.
“We will do our best to prevent the unilateral decisions and actions by the speaker and deputy speaker of the DP,” he said earlier in the day.
The DP holds a majority 170 out of 300 seats in the National Assembly.
Source: Yonhap News Agency