Representative Song Eon-seok of the People Power Party rose to become the new floor leader of the main opposition party on the 16th, stabilizing internal disorder after the presidential election defeat and preparing to counter the giant ruling party.
Representative Song was born in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, graduated from Gyeongbuk High School and Seoul National University's law school, and completed his master's and doctoral studies in economics at the State University of New York.
He began his public service career after passing the 29th National Civil Service Examination. After entering public service, he held key positions such as director of fiscal policy, chief budget review officer, and budget director at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (formerly the Ministry of Planning and Budget) and served as the second vice minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance under the Park Geun-hye administration.
He entered politics after being elected in the 2018 Gimcheon by-election as a member of the Liberty Korea Party. He has since been successful in winning three consecutive terms in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province.
Leveraging his background as an economic bureaucrat, he has led key economic policy formulation within the party while serving as the secretary of the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts and the party’s floor leader. He is currently active as the chairperson of the Planning and Finance Committee of the 22nd National Assembly.
In the 20th presidential election, he was regarded as part of the pro-Yoon (Yoon Suk-yeol) faction, having served as the head of policy coordination in the former president Yoon's camp. However, he is assessed to have a light factional color, having served as the head of the secretariat for the emergency response committee under Kim Jong-in during the time of the United Future Party.
▲Born in 1963 ▲Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province ▲29th National Civil Service Examination ▲Daegu Gyeongbuk High School ▲Seoul National University, Department of Law ▲Master's degree in Public Administration from Seoul National University ▲Economics (Master's and Doctorate) from the State University of New York ▲Budget Director of the Ministry of Economy and Finance ▲Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance ▲Member of the 20th, 21st, and 22nd National Assemblies ▲Floor Leader of the People Power Party ▲Secretary of the Special Committee on Budget & Accounts of the 21st National Assembly ▲Chairperson of the People Power Party's Special Committee on Financial and Tax Reform ▲Chairperson of the Planning and Finance Committee of the 22nd National Assembly