Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party of Korea said on the 23rd that she would resign as chair of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee. Choo is expected to step down from the chair post and focus on the Gyeonggi governor race.
Choo held a news conference at the National Assembly on the morning of the 23rd and said, "Now I return to the people the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair post given by the people," adding, "I will lead Gyeonggi Province, the center of the Republic of Korea, to victory and, together with the Lee Jae-myung administration, usher in an era of popular sovereignty."
She continued, "Last Aug., at a difficult time, I received a request from the party and, after much deliberation, accepted the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair post, and I said, 'I will take this election of the committee chair as the people's mandate to complete the tasks of prosecutorial reform and judicial reform,'" adding, "And I report the results of that promise."
After finishing the news conference, Choo met with reporters and mentioned the results of the Gyeonggi governor preliminary primary held the previous day. Choo, who received a 10% bonus as a female candidate, stressed that it was an "overwhelming victory" to the point that the bonus was meaningless.
Choo said, "In the preliminary primary, in fact, I won by an overwhelming margin. The bonus had little meaning," adding, "This is a time when we must lead locally driven growth and meet an era of great transition, and more than administrative ability, what is needed are the drive and political imagination and political capability to prepare for a groundbreaking great transition."
The Democratic Party floor leadership plans to give priority to appointing the next Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair. Choo explained that the chair is likely to be elected at a plenary session soon.