Seong Il-jong: "If Han Dong-hoon Appears Too Early, He May Get Hurt by Intense Attacks from the Opposition"

"Handonghun as Kim Juae? Will Not Play Yoon's Avatar Role"

With the resignation of Representative Kim Ki-hyun leading to the decision to transition to an emergency response committee (hereinafter referred to as the ERC) system within the People Power Party, speculation about Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, one of the leading presidential candidates in the ruling party, becoming the ERC chairman is gaining momentum. Meanwhile, People Power Party lawmaker Sung Il-jong expressed concerns, saying, "If he appears too early, he will face attacks from the opposition party."

On the 18th, Lawmaker Sung said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Minister Han is a very valuable asset to our party," but added, "If such a valuable asset appears too early, won't he face concentrated attacks from the opposition? That could cause damage, so it is necessary to make various political judgments."

Seong Il-jong, the ruling party secretary of the National Defense Committee, is speaking to the press outside the National Assembly National Defense Committee audit hall held at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 10th, discussing the disruption of the audit. The opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, placed pickets on every seat demanding the withdrawal of the appointment of Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik, leading the People Power Party to refuse entry to the audit hall, and the meeting could not even begin. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group

He said, "The point we are looking at is that the battleground is Seoul, the metropolitan area, so it is important who can secure more moderate expansion in this metropolitan area," adding, "We need a political tactician who can accurately understand the opposition and employ strategic tactics."

Minister Han records high approval ratings as a next presidential candidate among ruling party supporters, but he is generally evaluated as lacking moderate expansion capability. Additionally, his complete lack of political experience is also considered a weakness.

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Woong compared Han to 'Kim Ju-ae,' the daughter of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, pointing out that "he looks too similar to President Yoon Seok-youl." In response, Lawmaker Sung said, "Lawmaker Kim expressed himself too excessively," adding, "Since he is a member of the National Assembly and the public listens to him, his expressions should be dignified. Also, since this is a place to express opinions within the party, it is necessary to refrain from overly harsh expressions."

He continued, "The ruling party must be able to have sufficient discussions behind the scenes. Therefore, whether it is Minister Han or anyone else, whether it is Kim Han-gil, chairman of the National Unity Committee, or anyone else, they must be able to clearly express their own voices," adding, "If Minister Han tries to act as an avatar for the president, would he really take on such a role? No, he would not."