With 80 of 118 seats, the Democratic Party faces fierce internal competition for speaker, deputy speaker and floor leader posts; five-term Kim Ki-deok faces a challenge from four-term Kim In-je and several three-term lawmakers — prompting calls to honor the seniority tradition
Less than two weeks after the June 3 local elections, the battle over the power structure of the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council is already in full swing.
The Democratic Party of Korea suffered defeat in the Seoul mayoral race but secured 80 of 118 council seats, reclaiming an overwhelming majority. The People Power Party, by contrast, was limited to 38 seats.
The result reflects the Democratic Party's strong district-level competitiveness under the single-member constituency system used for Seoul council elections.
Within the Democratic Party, competition has begun in earnest for key posts in the first half of the 12th council — including speaker, deputy speaker, floor leader and steering committee chair.
Attention is focused above all on the speaker's race.
The Seoul Metropolitan Council speaker represents a body that oversees and scrutinizes city government with an annual budget of 50 trillion won (about $32.9 billion), and is widely regarded as one of the two pillars steering Seoul alongside the mayor. The post also carries considerable political symbolism as the representative of Seoul's 10 million residents.
The leading candidates for speaker are five-term lawmaker Kim Ki-deok, the most senior member of the council and a former deputy speaker, and four-term lawmaker Kim In-je, also a former deputy speaker.
Three-term lawmakers Kang Dong-gil, Im Man-gyun, Bong Yang-sun and Lee Seung-mi are also reportedly preparing to run, setting the stage for a six-way contest that observers are calling a free-for-all.
The concern is that an overheated speaker's race could deepen divisions within the Democratic Party.
Voices inside and outside the council have warned that the party needs to consider how it looks to citizens when lawmakers begin jostling for the speaker's seat the moment an election ends.
A former council member who served as deputy speaker of the 10th Seoul Metropolitan Council said the council had long respected a seniority-based order. "The principle of deferring to the most senior member has never been seriously challenged," the former lawmaker said. "If that tradition breaks down, serious internal conflict could repeat itself every time a speaker election comes around."
Even in the current 11th council, where the People Power Party holds the majority, four-term lawmaker Kim Hyeon-gi — the most senior member — was effectively acclaimed as speaker for the first half without a contest.
In political circles, seniority is seen as more than a measure of tenure. It is regarded as a composite indicator of legislative experience, standing within the party and the ability to manage council affairs.
Ultimately, the central question is what criteria the Democratic Party will use to settle on a candidate.
Within the party, some have called for coordination at the level of the central party or the Seoul chapter, warning that a speaker's race that devolves into factional rivalry or regional competition could weigh on council operations for the next four years.
Amid this, lawmaker Kim In-je became the first to formally declare his candidacy Monday, firing the opening shot in the race.
At a press conference that day, Kim said Seoul voters had given the Democratic Party an overwhelming mandate — 80 seats, enough for a two-thirds supermajority with the power to override vetoes. "This is a solemn order to check the unchecked administration of Mayor Oh Se-hoon and to protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens," he said, and went on to say he would build "an assembly that realizes the will of Seoul's citizens through strong oversight and responsible alternatives."
Meanwhile, lawmakers Seong Heum-je and Lee Yeong-sil are being mentioned for deputy speaker, while lawmaker-elect Lee Hyeon-chan and lawmaker Lee Sang-hun are reportedly preparing to run for the Democratic Party's floor leader post. Lawmaker Lee Byeong-do is considered the leading candidate for steering committee chair.
The first-half organizational structure of the 12th Seoul Metropolitan Council is expected to be finalized in early July, and political observers will be watching closely to see how the Democratic Party manages the internal sorting process.
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
