Lee Wan-koo & Park Young-sun By Andrew Kwon

Who are they? Lee Wan-koo is a 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, Rep. Lee entered politics in 1996 as a member and functionary of the New Korea Party, the precursor to both the Grand National and Saenuri Party, before being elected to the National Assembly in 2000. Briefly leaving government in 2004, Rep. Lee made his first return to politics as the Governor of South Chungcheong in 2006. As Governor, Rep. 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. Following some time away again from government, Rep. Lee recently made his second return to politics when he successfully ran for his second non-consecutive term in the national assembly 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, Rep. Park entered politics in 2004 as a proportional representative for the now defunct Uri Party. Now in her third term in the National Assembly, Rep. Park has filled several key roles in the center-left opposition and the National assembly such as Party Spokeswoman and as Chairwoman of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. However, Rep. 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.

Why have they been in the news? On May 8, the Saenuri Party and the NPAD announced that Rep. Lee and Park would be their respective Floor Leaders in the National Assembly. Both individuals are noted not only for their relative experience but also their similarly pugnacious political style. In the case of Rep. 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? 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.

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