Will Han Dong-hoon Run in the People Power Party Leadership Election?

Various Opinions Emerge as Jeondae Postponed by a Month or Two
Kim Byeongmin "Regret Over Erasing Han Donghun Appears"
Yoon Sanghyun "If Planning to Return, Should Not Have Quit"

As prospects emerge that the People Power Party's leadership election may be delayed by one or two months more than expected, attention is focusing on whether former Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon will run. While some say a delay in the leadership election would be advantageous for former Chairman Han, others argue that since he is responsible for the general election defeat, he should not run.

Hwang Woo-yeo, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, said on YTN Radio on the 8th, "We are absolutely not postponing the leadership election," adding, "The essence of my statement is that it is difficult to set a fixed date for the leadership election." Chairman Hwang explained, "According to party rules, it takes 38 days to meet the requirements to hold a leadership election. Even just electing the floor leader takes until the 9th, so if the Emergency Response Committee wants to finish discussions with the floor leader, it would take about 10 days to launch, and that also falls on a weekend. How can everything be completed in just one week?" Chairman Hwang expects the leadership election to be held between late July and early August. He explained that the schedule changed because the floor leader election was postponed from the 3rd to the 9th, and there is no special reason behind it.

Handonghun, Emergency Response Headquarters Chief of the People Power Party, is expressing his position on the general election defeat at the People Power Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 11th. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

However, as interpretations arose that a delay in the leadership election could be advantageous for former Chairman Han, critical voices emerged. Previously, lawyer Shin Pyeong reported on a radio show that former Chairman Han had requested some party members to postpone the leadership election date, which sparked controversy. On the same day, Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, demanded a prompt leadership election on his Facebook, stating, "One month is enough for the leadership election."

Interest has especially grown as former Chairman Han continues his political activities. It was revealed that he recently met with People Power Party officials and is scheduled to meet with Lee Sang-min, a lawmaker he recruited.

Some say former Chairman Han is necessary to innovate the party. Former People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Byung-min appeared on Channel A's radio show "Political Signal" and said, "As soon as the election ended, there were all sorts of humiliating words used to erase Han Dong-hoon, so there are people who feel sympathy for former Chairman Han," adding, "Also, there are those who feel a sense of crisis that the People Power Party might completely regress to the past, and they are lending their support to former Chairman Han."

On the other hand, there are views that former Chairman Han will not run in this leadership election. People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said on BBS Radio that day, "Former Chairman Han is someone who took responsibility and stepped down after the general election defeat," adding, "If he comes back? Then he should not have quit in the first place. The possibility of him running is zero." Lawmaker Yoon said, "His return will come when he is politically and power-wise prepared in his own way," and "I judge that a one or two-month delay in the leadership election does not mean he will run."