'Original Pro-Yoon' Yoon Han-hong Delivers Blunt Remarks to Jang Donghyuk: "Let’s Cast Off Yoon and the Hardliners Like a Dog Covered in Filth..."

Original Pro-Yoon Lawmaker Yoon Han-hong Delivers Blunt Remarks
"Pot Calling the Kettle Black": Calls for Self-Reflection
"Yoon Was Merely Recruited... No Real Connection"

Yoon Han-hong, a three-term senior lawmaker of the People Power Party and chairman of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee-once considered a key member of the pro-Yoon Seok-yeol faction-said on December 5, "Let us cast aside our ties to former President Yoon Seok-yeol, ignore the criticism from the hardcore supporters, and break free from the shackles of martial law."

He made these remarks in front of Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, who has refused to apologize for the emergency martial law, thereby emphasizing a clear break from former President Yoon. The aftermath of the internal party conflict over the issue of 'apologizing for martial law' continues.

At the 'Six-Month Government Evaluation of the Lee Jae-myung Administration' meeting held at the main building of the National Assembly that morning, Yoon said, "In a normal country, someone like this could never have become president, but by using the National Assembly as a shield and delaying trials with numerous lawyers, he became president. Now that he has become president, it seems his only goal in office is to avoid going to prison after his term ends," he criticized.

However, Yoon also pointed out his own party, saying, "At the same time, the public's criticism of our party is also significant. Even when committing unimaginable acts such as judicial manipulation, abuse of state affairs, and giving up the appeal in the Daejang-dong case, President Lee's approval rating approaches 60 percent. Our party's approval rating remains unchanged. Why is that?"

He continued, "It is because more people believe that we are not qualified to criticize. We are still seen as not recognizing that the emergency martial law was wrong. It is like a dog covered in filth criticizing a dog with chaff. No matter how much we criticize the Lee Jae-myung administration, we fail to reach the hearts of the people. Nothing works."

Yoon added, "In fact, the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration would hate it most if we apologized for martial law and severed ties with former President Yoon. Only by doing so will the public open their hearts to us, and the Lee Jae-myung administration will not be able to govern with ease."

Yoon reiterated the need for a break, stating that former President Yoon was merely someone recruited for the sake of winning the presidential election.

He said, "Back in 2021, we recruited Yoon Seok-yeol, then a presidential candidate who was closer to the Democratic Party, solely for the goal of regime change and to appeal to centrist voters, even at the cost of being called traitors. With that same spirit of perseverance, let us once again cast off our ties to former President Yoon and break free from the shackles of martial law."

Regarding former President Yoon, he said, "He was someone we brought in from outside to prevent the extension of the hypocritical Moon Jae-in administration," downplaying Yoon's connection to the party, and added, "At the time, there was no significant link between us."

He further stated, "Former President Yoon never discussed martial law with our party in advance. He never even considered it. There was not a single person in our party who knew about martial law beforehand. If we break free from martial law, the rebellion narrative will no longer work."

Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the six-month government evaluation meeting of the Lee Jae-myung administration held at the National Assembly on December 5, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Yoon also pointed out that Jang, the party leader, was blaming the Democratic Party's legislative dictatorship for the responsibility of the emergency martial law.

He said, "I believe we should no longer claim that national paralysis was the cause of martial law. Such logic cannot justify martial law. No matter what, martial law was never an option."

He continued, "We must break free from martial law and apologize to the public for the shame of such an absurd decision. Only then will our party survive, and only if our party survives will the Republic of Korea survive. Our approval rating will also rise."

Yoon emphasized that winning the local elections is more important than the backlash from the hardline conservative base due to severing ties with former President Yoon.

He said, "We can make it up to the supporters who made us members of the National Assembly and, in another sense, those who made us party leaders, by winning the local elections. We can endure being called traitors for a few months. Isn't it our duty to win the local elections and save the Republic of Korea?"

Yoon concluded, "If we continue like this and lose the local elections, the label of rebellion will stick with us for five years," and added, "I believe that severing ties with former President Yoon is a way to take satisfying revenge on the rude President Lee Jae-myung."