[Insight & Opinion] Disappointment with Han Dong-hoon

A Precarious Path Between "Party-Government Cooperation" and "Anti-Yoon"
Amplifying Uncertainty Over the Ruling Party's Fate

Former People Power Party emergency committee member Han Dong-hoon was a close ally of President Yoon Seok-yeol and fought fiercely against the opposition party during his tenure as Minister of Justice. Thanks to that, a Han Dong-hoon whirlwind emerged among the ruling party's support base. However, Han Dong-hoon is now sometimes regarded as having turned anti-Yoon.

Han Dong-hoon and Yoon Seok-yeol, once likened to “comrades who fought with their lives,” grew distant after the crushing defeat in the general election. The process was not ‘cool’ either. Han Dong-hoon declined the president’s invitation. Controversy arose over a ‘10-second phone call’ contrasting with the ‘meal skinship’ between other party leadership candidates and the president. When declaring his candidacy, Han coldly defined the Yoon-Han relationship as a “public relationship.” Furthermore, although he attached the condition of the Supreme Court Chief Justice recommending a special prosecutor, he accepted the opposition party’s Marine Corps special prosecutor. The presidential office expressed displeasure over Han’s acceptance of the special prosecutor, calling it “not anti-Yoon but absolutely Yoon.”

Nevertheless, in a poll targeting People Power Party supporters, Han Dong-hoon received a high approval rating of 63.0%. It seems conservatives were also angry at the president. Therefore, it is interpreted that they still supported Han, who drew a line from the president. However, public opinion could change. Some ruling party supporters feel disappointed by Han’s successive anti-Yoon moves, such as rejecting the president’s invitation, the 10-second call controversy, mentioning a “public relationship,” and accepting the special prosecutor.

From the ruling party’s perspective, to simplify the situation, the president and the minority ruling party are now facing a presidential impeachment crisis. If an ‘anti-president’ ruling party leader takes office, the president and the minority ruling party are likely to split and become weaker. Moreover, the first statement of the leading candidate was acceptance of the opposition’s impeachment roadmap, the Marine Corps special prosecutor. Of course, a safety measure was put in place by changing the special prosecutor recommendation method, but compared to this major trend, it is a minor issue. Therefore, the opposition views Han Dong-hoon’s plan as a boon.

Han Dong-hoon dislikes the opposition party but may also feel hurt or angry toward Yoon Seok-yeol. It has become difficult to predict where the ‘Joseon’s Best Prosecutor’s’ blade will point next. The birth of an ‘anti-Yoon Han Dong-hoon party leader’ amplifies the ruling party’s fate uncertainty. This is why, to some ruling party supporters, ‘anti-Yoon Han Dong-hoon’ seems much less attractive and even more dangerous than ‘pro-Yoon Han Dong-hoon.’

Han Dong-hoon’s declaration of candidacy contained no criticism of the opposition. “The public is not strongly restraining the ruling party’s legislative dominance and the completion of a unipolar system,” he said, which rather drained the ruling party’s energy against the opposition. The ‘anti-opposition fighting power’ that was the driving force behind the Han Dong-hoon whirlwind disappeared. Most of the declaration was filled with criticism of the ruling party. Removing the long and complex rhetoric, Han’s core message was a ‘regressing ruling party.’ “The outdated political schematic barrier that nuclear and oil resources belong to the right-wing and renewable energy to the left-wing.” This remark seemed to cynically dismiss the Yoon administration’s abandonment of nuclear phase-out and the investigation into renewable energy corruption.

Politicians must be able to set favorable agendas and escape unfavorable ones. Looking back, Han Dong-hoon seems to have a tendency to amplify agendas unfavorable to the ruling party. By proposing a new special prosecutor plan, the Marine Corps special prosecutor agenda was intensified. Maintaining and then canceling Do Tae-woo’s nomination made the 5.18 distortion a general election issue. Kim Kyung-ryul, a ‘Han Dong-hoon recruit,’ turned the Kim Keon-hee luxury bag issue into a national matter with the “Marie Antoinette” remark.

Han Dong-hoon appears to be attempting a ‘Pareto optimum’ between ‘party-government cooperation’ and ‘anti-Yoon.’ That appearance looks precarious. In his immediate candidacy declaration, he leaned too much toward the latter in his wording. The ‘anti-Yoon Han Dong-hoon’ controversy is expected to continue for some time.

Heo Man-seop, Professor at Gangneung-Wonju National University