N. Gyeongsang council elects veteran lawmaker Kim Hui-su as speaker

The North Gyeongsang Provincial Council held the first plenary session of its 364th extraordinary session Wednesday, electing the speaker and deputy speakers who will lead the council for the next two years.

Kim Hui-su, representing Pohang's fifth district, was elected speaker, while Lee Chun-u of Yeongcheon's first district and Park Sun-beom of Chilgok's second district were chosen as deputy speakers.

Kim is a five-term lawmaker who has served as chair of the council's steering committee and planning and economy committee, as well as deputy speaker, building extensive experience and expertise in council operations, policy and budgeting.

Lee is a three-term lawmaker who previously served on the Yeongcheon City Council from its fifth through seventh sessions before chairing the provincial council's planning and economy committee and steering committee, earning recognition for his expertise in budgeting and planning.

Park, also a three-term lawmaker, served in the eighth session of the provincial council and has chaired the ethics special committee and the construction and fire safety committee, coordinating major policies across administration, education and construction.

Upon taking office, Kim put forward "checks and cooperation for the people of the province" as his core value and unveiled a three-point council reform plan along with key campaign pledges aimed at building a policy-driven, working council.

"The speakership is not a position to exercise authority but one of responsibility — to the people and to the council," Kim said. "Guided by principle and conviction, I will turn the hopes of 2.6 million provincial residents into reality, and using this reform plan and these pledges as a foundation, I will build a North Gyeongsang Provincial Council that earns trust by creating real change in people's lives through communication and cooperation."