Candidate Registration for the People Power Party Convention on the 25th
Aftermath of Han Dong-hoon's 'Marine Corps Special Prosecutor Act'
Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, Yoon Sang-hyun Launch Full-Scale Attack on Han
Key presidential candidates of the People Power Party completed their registration for the party convention on the 25th and simultaneously began the race for party leadership. Former Emergency Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon raised the issue of “pushing for a ruling party-led Chae Hae-byeong special prosecutor law” as his first statement upon announcing his candidacy for party leader, prompting other candidates such as Representative Na Kyung-won, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, and Representative Yoon Sang-hyun to launch a united siege attack.
Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the National Assembly who declared his candidacy for the leader of the People Power Party (second from the left in the front row), former Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon, Assemblywoman Na Kyung-won, and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong attended the study meeting of first-term members of the People Power Party held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 24th and posed for a commemorative photo while cheering. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the same day, Representative Na appeared on SBS Radio’s “Kim Tae-hyun’s Political Show” in the morning and said, “During the general election, it was not properly known that the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor law was not for truth-finding but for political strife. We were just being pushed along,” adding, “That was when the People Power Party should have presented an alternative.”
He continued, “The day before yesterday, watching the Judiciary Committee hearing on the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor, the public was very angry,” and pointed out, “Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeong Cheong-rae not only treated active-duty soldiers and military personnel disrespectfully but also, during their questioning, it became clear that the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecutor bill was more about political strife than uncovering the truth, focusing on whether or not the president was enraged during the investigation phase. Many citizens now recognize and understand that it was, in short, for political strife.”
He further analyzed, “During the general election, a reasonable alternative should have been proposed and discussed, but now many citizens are gradually realizing that pushing for a special prosecutor investigation is ultimately about shaking and ousting the president.”
He then indirectly criticized former Chairman Han by saying, “Currently, the Democratic Party is proposing six special prosecutors or something like that, but in the end, people’s livelihoods are nowhere to be found, and it inevitably leads to a special prosecutor political situation,” adding, “If you think that accepting just one of these will end the debate and allow us to discuss the next livelihood issue, that is a misjudgment. In that sense, political experience is necessary.”
The day before, Representative Na also targeted former Chairman Han on CBS Radio, calling his idea “naive” and firing a direct shot: “The opposition party also proposed the ‘Han Dong-hoon special prosecutor.’ Are you going to proceed with a special prosecutor just because the public opinion polls are high?”
Not only Representative Na but also former Minister Won and Representative Yoon have united in opposition against former Chairman Han. At a study meeting for first-term lawmakers of the People Power Party held at the National Assembly the previous day, former Minister Won targeted former Chairman Han, who served as the first Minister of Justice under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, saying, “The prosecution investigated the Kim Geon-hee Deutsche Motors case for two years, but did they reach a conclusion? The Democratic Party keeps dragging out special prosecutor issues, but what did our Ministry of Justice do for two years, and what did the judiciary do?”
Representative Yoon also criticized former Chairman Han on YTN Radio the same day, saying, “A party leader who deliberately sets up confrontations?party-government relations are obviously going to collapse. They want the president to leave the party,” and questioned, “Is there no public suspicion about the Han Dong-hoon special prosecutor law?”
Meanwhile, the People Power Party will complete the candidate registration schedule for the July 23 party convention on the same day. The election period will run from the 26th to the 23rd of next month.
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