Rebuilding Korea Party selects Hwang Un-ha as floor leader

The minor Rebuilding Korea Party chose Rep. Hwang Un-ha as its floor leader Thursday after the party led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk seized 12 seats and became the third largest party in the incoming National Assembly.

Hwang, who won a second term in this month's parliamentary elections, was unanimously selected as the party's whip during a general meeting of the party's lawmakers-elect.

Hwang was first elected to the National Assembly as a member of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), but he quit the DP and joined Cho's party ahead of the April 10 elections and won reelection as a proportional representation candidate.

"We will fight against the prosecution's dictatorship most strongly, decisively and clearly at the front," Hwang said in a press conference, after he was chosen as the party's floor leader.

He vowed to maintain a "cooperative" relationship with the DP, adding that the two are already in discussions to propose a bill calling for a special investigation into Han Dong-hoon, the former leader of the ruling People Power Party.

Launching a special prosecution investigation into Han has been one of the party's main election pledges.

Hwang was sentenced to three years in prison in his first trial held last November on charges of intervening in the Ulsan mayoral election to help then President Moon Jae-in's close friend get elected as mayor.

Yonhap