Kim Jong-in: "No One in the People Power Party Surpasses Han Dong-hoon... Sharing the Same Roots with Yoon Is the Biggest Weakness"

Kim Jong-in Appears on Pro-Han YouTube Channel to Assess Han Dong-hoon
"Such Courage Is Rare for a Ruling Party Leader"
"Weakness Lies in Prosecutorial Background... Must Present a Concrete Vision"

Former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in claimed, "Assuming an early presidential election takes place, there is currently no figure who can surpass former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon." On the 17th, Kim appeared on the YouTube channel ‘Under 73,’ run by pro-Han Dong-hoon figures, stating, "During the declaration of martial law on December 3, Han took the lead in lifting the martial law and said he would prevent martial law in any form," adding, "Such an act requires extraordinary courage as the ruling party leader."

Former Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party. Photo by Heo Young-han

Kim said, "What I want to say to President Yoon is that he said he is loyal not to individuals but to the organization or the country, and Han is precisely the one who acted accordingly," adding, "He showed courage by standing against martial law to save South Korean democracy and uphold the nation's dignity." He also said, "Watching Han's actions that day on TV, I said, 'That person has exemplary civic courage,'" and added, "Who else in the People Power Party had such courage? I consider that Han's greatest strength."

Regarding President Yoon's insistence on enforcing martial law, Kim argued, "After suffering an overwhelming defeat in the National Assembly elections and losing the People Power Party leadership election to someone he did not support (Han Dong-hoon), he probably thought his scope of action was gone and considered martial law as a desperate measure." He continued, "Even though President Yoon tried to create a separate candidate he wanted, that person did not win, and Han Dong-hoon was elected with an overwhelming 63% majority," adding, "A generational change capable of leading the party took place, but the People Power Party could not endure it."

However, Kim pointed out, "(Han) has the biggest weakness of sharing the same roots (prosecutorial background) as President Yoon." He added, "The most important way to overcome this is to focus more on economic and social conditions, talk to the people about 'how I will solve these problems,' and present a concrete vision of 'how to improve everyday life,'" emphasizing, "We must move away from the mindset of interpreting all issues solely through legal perspectives."