A Breakthrough Needed in Healthy Party-Government Relations, Intra-Party Unity, and Opposition Relations
Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party was elected party leader on the 23rd. As the new leader, Han faces the task of establishing a healthy party-government relationship and unifying the party, which was fragmented during the party convention period. He must also find a breakthrough in the opposition relations, which are currently dominated by an overwhelming seat gap.
After concluding the party convention on the same day, Han told reporters, "I will frequently visit President Yoon Seok-yeol and communicate with him to establish a productive party-government relationship." However, regarding the controversial prosecution investigation of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, he also pointed out, "The prosecution should have considered the public’s perspective more when deciding on the investigation methods."
As the leader of the ruling party, he must support the current government's success, but at the same time, he believes a healthy tension must be maintained. Han said, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration is already competent," but added, "The reason the public does not give us more support despite great achievements is because we have listened less, explained less, and persuaded less." In other words, the party aims to serve as a bridge of public sentiment between the people and the president.
Han Dong-hoon, who was elected as the leader of the People Power Party, is giving an acceptance speech at the 4th People Power Party Convention held on the 23rd at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Party unity is also a challenge. In his acceptance speech, Han expressed gratitude to party members and the public for his election and first mentioned the candidates for the party leader race. He said, "I sincerely thank Yoon Sang-hyun, Won Hee-ryong, and Na Kyung-won, who stayed with us until the end," adding, "All three are valuable senior politicians and assets of our party." This is interpreted as his intention to resolve the conflicts that escalated during the divisive primary race. During the party convention period, Han faced various controversies, including First Lady Kim Geon-hee’s text message scandal, allegations of favoritism in Sa-cheon, the comment team controversy, and the fast-track indictment cancellation request controversy. Resolving internal party conflicts is an urgent task. The opposition is pressuring Han to "undergo investigation."
Regarding criticism that the party is divided into pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) and pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) factions, Han stated, "Our goal is to make this government successful and achieve regime reestablishment, so differences of opinion among people with the same goal are not conflicts." However, Han barely secured a majority in the Supreme Council, so he is expected to face checks and balances. At the party convention, Jang Dong-hyuk, Kim Jae-won, In Yo-han, and Kim Min-jeon were elected as Supreme Council members. Although Park Jung-hoon ranked fourth in the Supreme Council race, Kim Min-jeon was elected as the female Supreme Council member. Jin Jong-oh was elected as the youth Supreme Council member. Among Han’s supporters, Jang Dong-hyuk and Jin Jong-oh are considered Supreme Council members. Considering the policy committee chairman and appointed Supreme Council member whom Han can designate, he can secure a majority in the nine-member Supreme Council. However, Chu Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the People Power Party, and Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won, In Yo-han, and Kim Min-jeon are classified as pro-Yoon, creating a certain balance between the pro-Han and pro-Yoon factions.
Relations with the opposition are also a task. Han, who has already expressed his intention to push for the Special Prosecutor Act for Chae Sang-byeong through a third recommendation, also stated his intention to promote it as party policy. He said, "There are internal party procedures, so I think a breakthrough has been made by introducing the third-party special prosecutor law through this process," adding, "We will discuss it through democratic procedures within the party." Regarding the opposition’s unilateral actions, he said, "When the ruling party was a minority party, it did not necessarily fail to do good politics. It did good politics and achieved results when the ruling party was aligned with public sentiment," and added, "We will restrain, judge, and evaluate (the opposition) together with public sentiment."
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