‘Blue-Eyed Korean’ In Yo-han Appears During Park Geun-hye Presidential Election [Politics That Day]

Park Kal-lin and Yoon Joo-kyung with the 'Park Geun-hye Presidential Transition Committee'
Assisted Saenuri Party's 2012 Presidential Campaign
Reunited at 2023 Memorial for Former President Park Chung-hee

Editor's Note‘Politics on That Day’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures.

Professor In Yo-han of Yonsei University College of Medicine, known as the ‘Blue-eyed Korean,’ has close ties with political parties affiliated with the People Power Party. Ahead of the 22nd general election, he was appointed as the Innovation Committee Chair of the People Power Party, bringing him back into the spotlight. However, the period when he first drew attention in political circles dates back 11 years.

In October 2012, when the presidential election fever was at its peak, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the Saenuri Party’s Grand Unification Committee and helped with Park Geun-hye’s campaign in the Honam region. Although Professor In Yo-han’s appearance may seem foreign, he is originally from Suncheon, Jeollanam-do.

Professor In, the great-grandson of Eugene Bell, a 19th-century missionary from the United States, was recognized for his contributions to the Republic of Korea and became the first special naturalized citizen to acquire Korean nationality while retaining U.S. citizenship.

Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, and In Yo-han, professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine, are conversing at the study group event 'National Sympathy' held at the National Assembly on August 23. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

His connection with former President Park Geun-hye continued even after the presidential election. This occurred eight days after politician Park Geun-hye was elected as the first female president of South Korea on December 19, 2012.

On December 27, 2012, President-elect Park Geun-hye announced key appointments for the Presidential Transition Committee, and one of the notable figures selected was Professor In Yo-han.

Professor In was appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the National Unity Committee of the Presidential Transition Committee under the Park Geun-hye administration. This demonstrated the level of trust President-elect Park had in him.

The appointments to the Presidential Transition Committee sparked much attention. Professor In Yo-han was not the only one who drew public interest. Park Kal-lin, a musical director who gained popularity through conducting a choir on the KBS variety show ‘Qualifications of Men,’ was appointed as a member of the Youth Special Committee of the Presidential Transition Committee.

Another figure who attracted attention was Yoon Joo-kyung, former director of the Maehun Yoon Bong-gil Memorial Foundation and granddaughter of independence activist Yoon Bong-gil. As a symbol of the independence movement, Yoon Joo-kyung served as Vice-Chairman of the Saenuri Party’s Grand Unification Committee in October 2012, supporting the presidential election campaign.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former director Yoon Joo-kyung and Professor In Yo-han supported the making of President Park Geun-hye around the same time and are now under the same roof as members of the People Power Party. Yoon Joo-kyung became a member of the National Assembly in the 2020 general election and is currently an active lawmaker affiliated with the People Power Party. Professor In Yo-han became the Innovation Committee Chair of the People Power Party.

Innovation Committee Chair In Yo-han reunited with former President Park Geun-hye on the 26th, with whom he shares a special connection. The meeting naturally took place as former President Park attended the 44th anniversary memorial service for former President Park Chung-hee. This was effectively the first official external event since Chair In took on his important role.

Former President Park said, “I live feeling that the prosperous country my father devoted his life to achieving is being realized.” President Yoon Suk-yeol, who returned to Korea that day, also attended the memorial service for former President Park Chung-hee.

President Yoon emphasized, “In the current global complex crisis, we must once again engrave the spirit and achievements of former President Park Chung-hee and use them as a stepping stone to create a Korea that leaps forward.”

President Yoon Suk-yeol and former President Park Geun-hye, who attended the 44th anniversary memorial service for the late President Park Chung-hee, are seen walking together and talking after paying their respects at the grave of former President Park Chung-hee at the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the 26th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon’s meeting with former President Park Geun-hye immediately after returning from his Middle East tour is a politically symbolic scene. It is also unusual for a sitting president to attend the memorial service for former President Park Chung-hee, and meeting with former President Park Geun-hye, a symbolic figure of conservative politics, carries multiple meanings.

In a situation where opinion polls predict difficulties for the ruling People Power Party ahead of the general election, the meeting also conveys a message of ‘conservative grand unity.’ The meeting between President Yoon and former President Park itself is a political message.

It is also noteworthy that Innovation Committee Chair In Yo-han was present at this special meeting.

Through his connection with former President Park Geun-hye, Innovation Committee Chair In Yo-han has taken a step into practical politics and now leads the innovation efforts of the ruling party under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. President Yoon, former President Park, and Innovation Committee Chair In Yo-han. The memorial service for former President Park Chung-hee on October 26 is expected to be a political turning point at the gateway to the general election in April next year.

What moves will Innovation Committee Chair In Yo-han make regarding the ruling party’s innovation? How will the October 26 meeting influence the process of choosing a decisive move?

When asked about his future plans, Innovation Committee Chair In Yo-han was reserved, saying, “At a memorial event, one should focus on memorializing.”