Four Challenges Han Dong-hoon, the Party Leader, Must Solve

Setting Cooperative Relations with the Presidential Office and Other Tasks
Solutions for the Special Prosecutor Act Including Chaesangbyeong Must Also Find Breakthroughs

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, secured a landslide victory at the party convention on the 23rd, taking control of the ruling party's leadership. He received 62.69% (255,930 votes) from the electorate and 63.46% (64,772 votes) in the opinion poll conversion, totaling 62.84% (320,702 votes), placing first. However, his path ahead is not only filled with flowers. He faces challenges such as discord between the party and government, internal party unity, and difficult relations with the opposition, all of which require breakthroughs.

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@

The biggest challenge is restoring the relationship with President Yoon Seok-yeol. The pro-Yoon faction opposed Han by backing former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong in this convention. Within the party, there are calls for Han to work on mending ties with President Yoon, citing their close relationship since their prosecutor days. Han’s phone call to the president immediately after his election and the planned dinner meeting between the president and the new leadership are seen as signs of willingness to improve relations. A senior official from the presidential office stated, "On the 24th, President Yoon will have dinner in Yongsan with the entire new leadership, presidential office chiefs and senior aides, as well as the outgoing leadership." Former emergency committee chairman Hwang Woo-yeo advised on MBC radio, referencing past conservative administrations’ re-election cases, saying, "Speaking frankly is good, but depending on the situation, discuss things in advance."

Nonetheless, the possibility of conflict remains. In his acceptance speech, Han expressed that the Yoon administration is "already competent" and stated the party would serve as a bridge between the people and the government. However, shortly after, in a meeting with reporters, he expressed a negative stance regarding the prosecution’s summons of First Lady Kim Keon-hee, saying, "They should have considered the public’s expectations." Han faces the challenge of cooperating with the presidential office while also voicing his own opinions.

Internal party unity is also a task. A particularly urgent issue is how to handle the special prosecution law concerning Chae Sang-byung. Han proposed a third-party recommendation method for the special prosecution law, which the opposition strongly supports. However, there is fierce opposition within the party regarding this issue. Former Minister Won, who lost in the party leadership race, stated in a social media post after his defeat, "We must absolutely block the special prosecution and impeachment." Kim Jae-won and Kim Min-jeon, supreme council members who joined Han’s leadership, also expressed that Han should follow the results of the party’s parliamentary meeting led by floor leader Choo Kyung-ho and other lawmakers on this matter. Han has said he will "discuss this through democratic procedures within the party."

Relations with the opposition must also be addressed. Ironically, Han must engage in dialogue with Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party leader candidate, and Cho Guk, leader of the Innovation Party, whom he had targeted for political judgment during the last general election. Although he has expressed willingness for "cooperation" now that the election is over, it remains a challenge whether Han can create a political space for cooperation amid the opposition’s unilateral dominance in the National Assembly. Moreover, the opposition has a strategy to exploit the rift between Han and the pro-Yoon faction regarding the Chae Sang-byung special prosecution law. Additionally, the opposition is launching legal and political offensives related to allegations concerning Han that surfaced during the People Power Party convention.