Han’s leadership put to test with October by-elections, meeting with Yoon

Oct 15, 2024, 10:16 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol and ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon shake hands upon Yoon’s return from his tour of Southeast Asia at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 11, 2024./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Kim Myung-eun

As Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), has decided to take an independent path in the wake of the controversy surrounding first lady Kim Keon-hee, observers say that the success or failure of his leadership depends on Wednesday’s by-elections this week and his one-on-one meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol expected early next week. In terms of timing, it is expected to be around the end of this month, which will be around the 100th day of his party leadership.

“Kim Keon-hee is not a person that holds any official position,” Han Dong-hoon told reporters after a supreme council meeting at the National Assembly on Monday. “Such political connections should not exist.”

This echoed his previous remarks Saturday, when he was campaigning for by-elections in Busan, that a presidential office reshuffle is “necessary” to dispel public concerns. This was interpreted as a demand to overhaul the presidential office personnel who were pointed out as close to the first lady.

As Han and pro-Han figures within the party have recently raised their voices over the first lady controversy, political circles see it as Han’s intention to take an independent path.

Political observers say Han is making “counterattack” as he was cornered with criticism that he only instigated conflicts within the party and with the government. Since taking office, Han had proposed a third party appointing a special counsel for the case of a Marine’s death, a consultative body for rival parties, government and doctors to address medical reform, and the abolition of financial investment income tax, with none of them making any proper results.

The success of the “pro-Han rebellion” will be determined primarily by the results of the Wednesday by-elections, and will likely be virtually concluded by the following Yoon-Han meeting. The two events are expected to be a watershed moment in determining Han’s political path.

If the ruling PPP is defeated in the by-elections, factional strife within the party is expected to reach its peak, analysts say. “The pro-Yoon faction would devalue Han’s political power and criticize him for causing a conflict between the party and the government, while the pro-Han faction will counterattack that the first lady issue eventually had an adverse impact on the election,” said Lee Jong-hoon, a political commentator.

#Han Dong-hoon #by-elections