Han Dong-hoon elected new leader of ruling People Power Party

Jul 24, 2024, 10:40 am

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Han Dong-hoon, former interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), waves the party flag after being elected as the new PPP leader during a national convention at a convention center in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, on July 23, 2024./ Photographed by Song Eui-joo (songuijoo@)

AsiaToday reporter Han Dae-eui

Han Dong-hoon, a former interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), was elected as the new PPP leader on Tuesday. Jang Dong-hyuk, Kim Jae-won, Ihn Yo-han and Kim Meen-geon were elected as members of the party’s Supreme Council while Jin Jong-oh was elected as a youth member of the council.

At the convention held in the Gyeonggi provincial city of Goyang on Tuesday, Han won 62.84 percent of votes cast. Former land minister Won Hee-ryong garnered 18.85 percent of votes, five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won 14.58 percent and another five-term lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun 3.73 percent. Han’s win with a majority of the vote makes a runoff unnecessary.

The PPP earlier revised its party rules to include public opinion polls in the election based on a weight of 20 percent public opinion poll results and 80 percent ballots cast by party members. The turnout was 48.51 percent, 6.59 percentage points lower than the turnout at the March 8 convention last year.

For the party’s Supreme Council members, Jang Dong-hyuk, Kim Jae-won, Ihn Yo-han and Kim Meen-geon were elected while Jin Jong-oh was elected as a youth member of the council.

“Change begins today. As we look toward the future and the challenges that lie ahead, we must come together and bring change together. I will do my best to unite the party and ride the wave of public sentiment. I sincerely thank candidates Yoon Sang-hyun, Won Hee-ryong and Na Kyung-won for being together until the end. All three of them are our party’s great assets and politicians,” Han said in his acceptance speech.

“At this convention, we all debated and competed the most fiercely. Sometimes, it heated up, and sometimes it was conflicting. I know that there were times when our party members and the people were heartbroken, angry, worried in the whole process, having a tough month. I really want to apologize for it. The People Power Party is a mature liberal democratic party that respects and recognizes differences. We have the ability and tradition to overcome conflicts and confrontation in a democratic way through discussion and persuasion,” he said.

“In 2007, former President Park Geun-hye said, ‘Let us forget everything that happed during the primary election process. She said if we cannot forget it overnight, then let us forget it even after a few days.’ What she said filled the cracks in the fierce primary process and sealed the wounds. That laid the foundation for the conservative government to take power consecutively,” he said.

#Han Dong-hoon #People Power Party