"Here Again Today"... Han Dong-hoon, Who Paused Activities, Spotted Wearing Bone Conduction Earphones

Korea, Reading Novels at Yangjae Library in Seocho-gu
Suspended External Activities After General Election Defeat

Reports of sightings of former People Power Party Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon, who recently suspended public activities, at Yangjae Library in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 11th have been trending on online communities.

On the afternoon of the 11th, posts from netizens claiming to have seen former Chairman Han at Yangjae Library continued to appear on online communities. Former Chairman Han has not engaged in public activities since resigning from his position following the party's defeat in the April 10 general election. Netizen A said, "I saw (former Chairman Han) a few days ago, and he is here again today," adding, "He was in the second-floor reading room. People were polite and mostly refrained from disturbing him, though some asked for autographs and photos."

On the 11th, Han Dong-hoon, former Emergency Response Committee member of the People Power Party, was seen reading a book at Yangjae Library in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Image source: Online community capture]

Along with the post, Netizen A also uploaded a photo of former Chairman Han. In the photo, he is seen sitting in the library reading room wearing pink bone conduction earphones and reading a book. Wearing a black jacket, former Chairman Han was also wearing the sneakers he frequently wore during the recent election campaign period. Another photo showed him reading the novel Jong-ui Giwon-dam (The Origin Story of Species) by author Kim Bo-young. Published last year, this novel is the first Korean science fiction work to be nominated for the National Book Award and features robots as its subject.

Former Chairman Han signed the book that Netizen A was holding, saying, "You are reading a good book." He wrote inside the book, "Libraries are nice on weekends! Always be happy. 2024. 5. 11. Han Dong-hoon." The book Netizen A had was So-seol Boda: Summer 2022 (Better Than Novels: Summer 2022), a collection of works by authors Ham Yoon-i, Lee Mi-sang, and Kim Ji-yeon.

There is also a netizen who took a 'selfie' with former Chairman Han at the library. Netizen B wrote, "After seeing the post that (former Chairman Han) was at Yangjae Library, I put on a hat, drove in the rainy weather, and went to see him in person," adding, "He seemed to be doing well and was deeply immersed in reading. I told him I was rooting for him."

Since his resignation on the 11th of last month, former Chairman Han has only posted one statement online on the 20th of the same month and has been resting at home without other external activities. He declined an invitation to a luncheon from President Yoon Seok-yeol after the general election due to health reasons.

A photo of former Chairman Jeon taken on the street in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 1st [Image source=Social Networking Service (SNS) capture]

Earlier, on the 3rd, a photo showing the back of former Chairman Han was posted on various social media platforms. Taken on the 1st, the photo shows him walking near his home in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, dressed casually and talking on the phone with someone. The person who posted the photo said, "A friend took the photo," adding, "Since it was a familiar face, I greeted him with a nod, and he suddenly turned around and took the photo. People say he looks just like on TV."

On the 3rd, former Chairman Han had a dinner meeting with People Power Party officials who participated in the general election. He dined with about 20 people, including Representative Kim Hyung-dong and party secretariat staff, at a Chinese restaurant in the city. Former Chairman Han told the attendees, "Let's meet regularly," and said, "There are special memories, so they are precious." It was reported that he also said at the gathering, "I have a lot of free time these days. I go to the library and spend time reading books gifted by supporters."