The ruling Democratic Party of Korea has elected three-term lawmaker Hong Young-pyo as its new floor leader.<br /> In a two-way race,... he won 78 out of 116 votes.<br />He will replace Woo Won-shik... and takes the helm for the next twelve months.<br />Hong -- who has close ties with President Moon Jae-in -- has emphasized making concessions with the opposition parties when it comes to handling pending issues.<br />That flexibility could prove beneficial... as the new floor leader faces a number of challenges.<br />First, he must deal with an over month-long standstill at the National Assembly -- that has intensified over launching a special counsel probe into an online opinion rigging scandal.<br />The new whip must also seek ways to step up cooperation with the opposition bloc... for the smooth roll out of the administration's policy goals. <br />
