AsiaToday reporter Han Dae-eui

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon on Monday called on President Yoon Suk-yeol to issue a public apology and reshuffle aides at the presidential office to address growing concerns over allegations surrounding the first lady. However, the ruling camp claimed that Han’s move resembles the process of former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, calling it “impeachment déjà vu.” They point out that the opposition bloc’s “witch hunt” against first lady Kim Keon-hee has affected the ruling party, where conservatives took the lead in Park’s impeachment. Back then, the group advocating Park’s impeachment within the party, led by Saenuri Rep. Yoo Seung-min, demanded an apology from Park over allowing her friend Choi Soon-sil to manipulate power from behind the scenes. This led to Park’s apology on Oct. 25 the same year. Park, who believed that this would appease the public, has rather sparked candlelight rallies. “Many people believed that Park’s hasty apology aggravated the situation,” said Lee Sang-don, a professor emeritus of law at Chung-Ang University who served as a lawmaker in his 20s. 

Conservatives are strongly criticizing Han’s demand for Yoon’s apology.

“I miss the time when I entered the politics. When there is a chaos in the country, great men used to step up and settle the situation through dialogue and compromise, but they are nowhere, and only odds and sods are stepping up now and fueling confusion,” Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo wrote on his Facebook on Monday. His message seems to criticize anti-Yoon group in the ruling party.

“Han is asking the President to apologize. But politically, if he apologizes, the opposition party would make bigger demands afterward,” an official of the People Power Central Party said in a phone call with AsiaToday. “First of all, the president and the presidential office should buy time to take the initiative to overcome the current situation, but if the party comes forward like that, the credibility of the presidential office would inevitably drop. It is right for the party leader to keep complaints or reform proposal private,” the official said. “As Han said, the party should do what it has to do, and the government should do what it has to do. However, Han is not even keeping his words and is preemptively presenting his opinions to the media without collecting public opinion within the party.”

“Han Dong-hoon is an opportunist and an upgraded version of Yoo Seung-min,” said Kim Sung-hoe, former presidential secretary for multiculturalism. “Han’s remarks reminded me of the Busan campaign during the last general election. In response to criticism that there was a high level of distrust in the Yoon Suk-yeol government, Han said that he is not responsible for it.”

On the other hand, some support Han’s demand for Yoon’s apology.

“There is nothing new about what Han demanded to Yoon today. It has been pointed out and repeatedly demanded,” political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said. “The president is likely to make an apology, but more importantly, personnel reshuffles should be made.”