▲ Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo shakes hands with other lawmakers of his main opposition Democratic Party after he was elected as the floor leader at the National Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 26, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) DP-floor leader election

(LEAD) Three-term lawmaker Hong Ihk-pyo elected as new floor leader of DP

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with election results; CHANGES headline; ADDS byline)

By Kang Jae-eun

SEOUL, Sept. 26 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday elected a three-term lawmaker as its new floor leader ahead of a crucial court decision on the fate of party leader Lee Jae-myung.

Hong Ihk-pyo beat two other candidates -- Reps. Nam In-soon and Kim Min-seok -- at a general meeting of party lawmakers, becoming the party's floor leader at a time when the party is navigating a political crisis sparked by Lee's corruption allegations.

"I've taken a difficult role during a difficult time," Hong, who is considered a lawmaker aligned with Lee, said in his acceptance speech. "I will create momentum, a force, to unite the Democratic Party into a single team, so that we can win the general elections next year with Chairman Lee Jae-myung."

His election came five days after the former floor leader, Rep. Park Kwang-on, resigned to take responsibility over the National Assembly's passage of a motion to lift Lee's arrest immunity.

By law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session unless the National Assembly passes a motion giving its consent to the arrest, a measure intended to shield lawmakers from political persecution.

The passage of the motion is attributed to a number of dissenting ballots from the opposition party that commands a majority of parliamentary seats, in the latest sign of growing division in the party.

On Tuesday, Lee attended a court hearing on an arrest warrant request against him over corruption charges, the biggest crisis yet for the former presidential candidate.

The Seoul Central District Court is expected to make a decision as early as Tuesday night if the hearing proceeds as scheduled.

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