On the 17th, as Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon visited Daegu, political circles speculated whether this was a move with election candidacy in mind. In this context, Cho Won-jin, leader of the Our Republican Party, said, "Minister Han's candidacy in Daegu is plausible," and predicted that if former leader Lee Jun-seok, who is reportedly pushing for the creation of a new party, runs, they might face off.
On the 20th, Cho said on YTN's "News King with Park Ji-hoon," "People keep talking about the metropolitan area, but Minister Han's candidacy in Daegu is quite convincing."
He added, "Running in the metropolitan area is important, but it is especially necessary to secure the public sentiment in Daegu, particularly the TK (Taegu-Gyeongbuk) sentiment and the Yeongnam region sentiment," and said, "Ultimately, there will be opposition from senior Yeongnam politicians running in difficult districts or from Jang Je-won, a key figure in the Yoon core group. What card can suppress that?" expressing a high possibility of Minister Han running in Daegu.
He continued, "If senior Yeongnam politicians run in difficult districts and are excluded from nominations, the possibility of independent candidacy is high," and said, "It is difficult for them to join former leader Lee's (new party), so I think Minister Han is the only person who can generally suppress the independent wave in the Yeongnam region and some influence of the 'Lee Jun-seok new party.'"
At his visit to Daegu on the 17th, Minister Han said, "I have always deeply respected the citizens of Daegu. I am very glad to be here." Regarding speculation about running in next year's general election, he said, "The general election is certainly important for the lives of the people."
Regarding Minister Han's visit to Daegu, Cho said, "No one doubts that support for President Yoon Seok-youl is high in Daegu. Despite criticisms like 'Mayor Hong Joon-pyo is disliked in Daegu' or 'Former leader Lee Jun-seok is rude,' among them, Minister Han is the best," and added, "The so-called 'Han Dong-hoon syndrome' seems to be a self-help measure to restore the pride of Daegu citizens."
The Democratic Party of Korea has expressed a welcoming stance toward Minister Han's candidacy. In response, Representative Cho said, "They outwardly seem pleased. But the direction and trend of votes in the metropolitan area, especially among the undecided and moderate voters, when Minister Han runs, is important," and added, "If the Democratic Party led by Lee Jae-myung does not change and does not clear out the old practices related to the 386 activist generation, we need to see where the moderate votes supporting the Democratic Party will go in the election."
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