Running for Assembly speaker at 83: Park Ji-won seeks 'final chance' to serve nation

Eighty-three-year-old Rep. Park Ji-won, the oldest sitting member of the National Assembly, is running in the Democratic Party of Korea’s race to become speaker for the latter half of the 22nd National Assembly.

In a Facebook post late Tuesday, Park said he would “give everything” for the country, the public and President Lee Jae Myung, calling it “realistically his final challenge.” Born in 1942 and turning 84 in June, the liberal politician also suggested he would retire from politics after serving as speaker.

In a separate interview with local media, Park dismissed concerns about his age and the feasibility of serving a two-year term in a post second only to the president in South Korea’s ceremonial protocol.

“Why worry about my age? I am at the perfect age to serve as speaker,” he said. “Artists often create their greatest works late in life. I want to serve as speaker and help build a better-functioning Republic of Korea and support a successful Lee Jae Myung presidency.”

Park, currently serving his fifth term as a lawmaker, has held several senior posts, including minister of culture and tourism, presidential chief of staff under former President Kim Dae-jung, and director of the National Intelligence Service under President Moon Jae-in.

The contest is shaping up to be a three-way race among Park, six-term Rep. Cho Jeong-sik, and five-term Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon.

Under the ruling Democratic Party’s selection process, lawmakers’ votes account for 80 percent of the outcome, while dues-paying party members make up the remaining 20 percent.