Kang Mu-gil, speaker for the first half of the 10th Busan City Council [Captured from Kang Mu-gil's social media]
Kang Mu-gil, speaker for the first half of the 10th Busan City Council [Captured from Kang Mu-gil's social media]

The 10th Busan City Council opened Monday, electing People Power Party lawmaker Kang Mu-gil — a three-term representative from Haeundae-gu — as speaker for the first half of the session.

The council convened the first plenary session of the 337th extraordinary session at 10 a.m. Monday, electing both the first-half speaker and the first deputy speaker.

Kang won the speakership with 44 of 48 votes cast. His term runs through June 2028. Speaking immediately after his election, Kang said he would "actively support all 48 council members in carrying out their legislative duties" and pledged to "do his utmost solely for Busan's development."

The council also elected PPP lawmaker Song Sang-jo, a two-term representative from Seo-gu, as first deputy speaker. The second deputy speaker seat, reserved for the Democratic Party of Korea, was left vacant after no candidate came forward. The PPP holds 37 of the council's 48 seats.

The Democratic Party had initially fielded candidates for the speakership and two standing committee chairmanships after the PPP moved to claim all seven. It later withdrew all its candidates, citing the need to open the door to cooperation between the PPP-majority council and Democratic Party Mayor Jeon Jae-soo. The party also declined the second deputy speaker post, leaving the PPP to sweep the speaker's office and all standing committee chairmanships.

An opening ceremony was held in the main chamber at 2 p.m. Monday, attended by Mayor Jeon and Busan Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Kim Seok-jun, among others. At a plenary session at 3:30 p.m., the council was set to elect the seven standing committee chairs and the chair of the ethics special committee, and to finalize appointments to each standing committee.

The next sitting of the 337th extraordinary session runs 15 days, from July 14 to July 28. The council plans to receive second-half work reports from agencies under its jurisdiction and complete the first-half leadership structure by electing the second deputy speaker.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com