SEOUL, South Korea — In a significant political shift, a deputy assembly speaker, formerly aligned with South Korea's main opposition party, announced her decision to join the ruling People Power Party (PPP). This move comes two weeks after she voiced her intention to leave her party due to disagreements over nominations for the upcoming April parliamentary elections.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim Young-joo, a lawmaker serving her fourth term, expressed dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party last month. This decision followed shortly after the party placed her in the bottom 20 percent in its assessment for election nominations. "Accepting (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon's proposal, I have decided to join the PPP," Kim disclosed on her Facebook page. Her transition to the ruling party is scheduled for Monday, marking a notable change in her political career and potentially impacting the dynamics within the National Assembly ahead of the elections.