Handonghun Advocating for Purging the Activist Faction vs Ijunsuk Claiming to Overcome Extreme Politics
A major upheaval is occurring in the political camp. Han Dong-hoon, the former Minister of Justice who was regarded as a promising next-generation leader, has been abruptly appointed as the Emergency Response Committee Chairperson of the People Power Party. On the other hand, Lee Jun-seok, the former party leader who rose as the next-generation figure of the People Power Party after winning the 2021 party convention, has left the party. Coincidentally, the two announced new beginnings just one day apart. These are symbolic scenes showing the start of a political whirlwind ahead of next year’s general election. We conducted a comparative analysis of Han’s acceptance speech as Emergency Response Committee Chairperson and Lee’s press conference on his departure from the party and the founding of a new party.
Han Dong-hoon Advocates Purging the Activist Faction vs. Lee Jun-seok Calls for Overcoming Extreme Politics
Han’s acceptance speech, about 4,000 characters long, is largely summarized by the theme of purging a specific activist political faction under ‘Why did I enter politics?’ and includes content on ‘What sacrifices and determination am I committing to?’ and ‘What kind of politics do I aim for?’ Overall, the focus was on why it is necessary to achieve victory over the Democratic Party of Korea in next year’s general election.
Han’s determination can be summarized by the statement: "We must prevent the Democratic Party led by Lee Jae-myung, which is colluding with the privileged activist faction and the ‘Gaeddal’ totalitarianism, from destroying the country to save themselves." He then expressed his commitment not to run in either the local or proportional representation constituencies in next year’s general election and conveyed a message presenting a vision for better politics.
Handonghun, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is making a statement at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@
Lee’s press conference, about 6,000 characters long, was structured around ‘Why did I leave the People Power Party?’, ‘The need to overcome extreme politics’, and ‘What kind of politics do I aim for?’. After being forced to step down as party leader due to disciplinary action by the People Power Party’s Ethics Committee, Lee revealed that he was offered the position of general election campaign committee chairperson, which would have allowed a grand return to the party, but said, "I was not moved at all," and explained his reason for leaving as "I could not wait while watching a political scene with no change."
He said, "If politics is about turning opponents into villains in the Colosseum, I will, even if it means dying a hundred times over, grab that person by the collar and force them into the Agora to talk about the future again," and "It has been almost two years since the presidential election ended, so why must extreme confrontation and the obstinacy of the sword-wielders become the language of all of us?" emphasizing the need to overcome extreme politics. In particular, he used expressions such as "a political organization led by the prosecution and police," seemingly targeting President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People Power Party.
Han’s Abstract vs. Lee’s Concrete Policy Directions
There were differences in the targets and directions of criticism, but the most notable difference was in the concrete vision and direction of policy. Han outlined the future policy direction of the People Power Party as "policies meticulously prepared for the predetermined future of demographic disaster, policies that firmly protect citizens from crime and disasters, policies that help ordinary people and the vulnerable regardless of faction, policies accelerating scientific and industrial innovation in an era where security, economy, and technology converge, policies that ensure the capital market drives private autonomy, creativity, and economic development while leaving no gaps in investor protection, policies that protect national interests within the global order through broad and deep Korea-US cooperation, principled North Korea policies with both justification and practical benefits, balanced responses to climate change, policies that improve youth lives from the youth’s perspective, policies that respect the elderly, policies that support regional economies, and policies that improve the convenience of life for all citizens." This was a broadly principled direction.
In contrast, Lee introduced the policy vision of his new party by saying, "While Korea remains stagnant in a tug-of-war of despair, we face numerous unavoidable challenges. The new party will accurately recognize this crisis and boldly speak the unpopular truths." He cited urgent issues such as the problematic situation where fostering science and engineering talent and expanding medical school quotas are discussed together, the shortcomings of education reform focused on supporting regional universities, the need to discuss military downsizing plans amid population decline, the problematic decision to exclude calculus and geometry from the college entrance exam, and pension reform.
Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok is holding a press conference announcing his withdrawal from the party at a restaurant in Nowon-gu, Seoul, on the 27th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
While Han, a newcomer to politics, presented abstract policy orientations, Lee, entering his 12th year in politics, drew attention by proposing much more concrete policy directions.
Han Dong-hoon Cites British Prime Minister Winston Churchill vs. Lee Jun-seok Quotes the Drama “The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family”
There were also differences in the quotations used. Han borrowed several lines from speeches by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He mentioned, "Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision," and "We will fight in Honam, Yeongnam, Chungcheong, Gangwon, Jeju, Gyeonggi, and Seoul. And with courage and dedication, we will surely win." These were excerpts from Churchill’s speeches aimed at boosting the will to fight to the end during the dire circumstances of World War II.
On the other hand, Lee quoted lines from a TV drama. Introducing the future of the tentatively named Reform New Party, which reportedly formed a preparatory committee on that day, he read aloud the line from “The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family”: "We’re growing the shrimp’s body. So it doesn’t get its back broken in a whale fight. If we don’t give up, isn’t time on the shrimp’s side?" In the confrontation between the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, the Reform New Party corresponds to the shrimp, but if it does not give up, an opportunity will come. Additionally, Lee mentioned ‘NeXTSTEP,’ founded by Apple’s founder Steve Jobs after being ousted from the company, expressing his intention to follow his own path forward.
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