Continuing with our series on the state of domestic politics in South Korea following the April 10 elections let us talk about what has been happening in the conservative camp.
First reshufflings
As Hong Joon-pyo wrote in a Facebook* post, Han “acted like he was Yoon’s direct heir” but “was dumped after arrogantly defying his master.”
Han, as was expected of him, humbly resigned in May 2024 and Hwang Woo-yeo, the chairman of the Saenuri Party (as the Conservative party was known at the time) from 2012 to 2014, was appointed head of the interim emergency leadership committee. Hwang had also served as prime minister and education minister under former President Park Geun-hye. The other members of the committee were also supporters of Yoon.
The reshuffle has also affected the government: on April 23, South Korea’s president made a number of important appointments, most notably naming lawmaker Jeong Jin-seok as his chief of staff. Jeong has been elected to the National Assembly five times, having served as its Deputy Speaker and as political secretary in President Lee Myung-bak’s administration, and is considered a loyal supporter of the President. At the time of his appointment, Jeong was head of the ruling party’s parliamentary faction, and was succeeded in this position by Choo Kyung-ho, who is seen as a supporter of the President and had previously served in the government.
In addition, Yoon Suk-yeol restored the position of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and appointed Kim Joo-hyun, who served as Deputy Minister of Justice in 2015, to this post.
Election of a new party leader and the return of Han Dong-hoon
The Conservatives, like the Democrats, began preparing for a party convention to elect a party leader, which was scheduled for July 23. In preparation for this event the People Power Party has decided to revise its voting rules to take into account public opinion polls. More specifically, 80% of the vote will remain with party members, and 20% will reflect a broader view. In a way, this represents a return to its previous rules, in which 30% of the votes for choice of party chairman were based on public opinion poll results, but in 2022 it was decided that such an important intra-party matter could not be entrusted to the general public.
On June 23, 2024, Han Dong-hoon announced that he would participate in the contest for the post of party chairman, adding that he intends to use the experience of defeat in the past parliamentary elections as a basis for change, victory and revival of political power, and pledging to make the relationship between the government and the ruling party more level and practical, and to focus on voters’ expectations and public opinion.
On the same day, two other influential politicians announced their candidacy for the chairmanship. Na Kyung-won represents the traditional Conservatives, for whom she has, in the past, served as both Speaker in the National Assembly and party leader, before losing to Lee Joon-seok because of her scandalous reputation. The former speaker promised that she would completely revamp the party to help it stay in power, but would not run for president, emphasizing her commitment to remain neutral as she led the party without being influenced by personal ambitions. That stance is belied by the fact that she is seen as an odious figure, and had pledged to include the issue of South Korea acquiring its own nuclear weapons as an element of the party’s political platform if she was elected.
Former Minister of Territories, Infrastructure and Transportation Won Hee-ryong. Although he was Yoon’s rival in the primaries, he emphasized the need to strengthen the relationship between the party and the President, leading many to consider him as Han’s main rival and a protégé of Yoon. The presidential administration, however, has emphasized that it will keep its distance from the party leadership race.
In the confrontation between Han and Won, each candidate attacked the other, adopting arguments on the lines of “the President supports me, not this traitor,” and with Won being particularly aggressive.
As a result, the party’s steering committee, responsible for overseeing the race for the chairmanship, sent warnings to both Han Dong-hoon and Won Hee-ryong for violating the party’s rules. Choo Kyung-ho, leader of the People Power Party’s faction in the National Assembly, also expressed his concern about the “excessively dirty” fight, asking the candidates to refrain from excessive criticism and personal attacks on their opponents. The presidential administration, on the other hand, said that it would stay neutral and refused to interfere in the election of the new party leadership.
Against the above backdrop, Han marched confidently to victory. According to a Gallup Korea poll from June 25-27, 2024, Han received 28% support, followed by Na with 19% and Won with 13%.
Thus, on July 23, the 2024 party convention reported the result of its vote, which was as most people had expected. Han Dong-hoon received 62.8% of the votes, Won Hee-ryong received 18.8% of the votes, and Na Kyung-won received 14.6% of the votes.
The new members of the People Power Party’s Supreme Council are Jang Dong-hyuk, In Jae-won, In Yo-han (also known by his birth name, John Linton), and Kim Min-jong. Jin Jung-oh was appointed as youth member of the Supreme Council. Of these politicians, In Yo Han and Jin Jung-oh—a multiple Olympic shooting champion—can be singled out as particularly interesting figures.
In his first speech as Conservative leader, Han said that the People Power Party must be on the same side as the public, and that it must respond to people’s expectations in a prompt and timely manner.
Han promised to listen to the voices of those party members and parliamentarians who voted against him in the election, and to make efforts to convince them of his rightness in the event of any disagreement.
Yoon Suk-yeol also spoke, emphasizing the need for unity between the administration and the ruling party, after which Yoon and Han held several meetings.
On the evening of July 23, Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a dinner at the Presidential Office with Han Dong-hoon, the candidates running for the party chairmanship and key party officials.
The head of state thanked all those present, called on them to abandon intra-party “squabbles” and to unite and focus on continuing to work together in the interests of the future, and expressed hope that the “new” chairman of the People Power Party would find common ground with the presidential administration and demonstrate a high level of leadership.
For his part, Han Dong-hoon said he was willing to work for the success of Yoon Suk-yeol’s government and the restoration of power, while Han’s former rivals in the race for the chairmanship emphasized the need to achieve unity and consolidate the forces of the ruling party and the government.
On July 30, Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Dong-hoon held a private meeting at the Presidential Office (among others, the head of the Presidential Office, Jeong Jin-seok, was present to play a coordinating role). It is reported that the main topic of the conversation was the need for harmony, solidarity and unity between the state authorities and the ruling party.
On August 17, representatives of the government, the presidential administration, and the ruling party held a joint closed-door meeting. Han Dong-hoon called on the government to put greater effort into improving the living conditions of South Koreans, as they will get tired of the opposition’s political attacks on the government and will evaluate the policies of those in power from the perspective of public welfare.
Han reacted positively to the Democrats’ offer of a meeting. The talks were held “behind closed doors” and lasted a total of 103 minutes. The parties agreed on eight issues where there was room for compromise.
However, just 24 hours later, the Conservatives and Democrats were once again in fierce conflict over Lee’s claim about plans for martial law.
To summarize
Han Dong-hun, as party leader, is not in as strong a position as Lee Jae Myung, but the voting gap shows the demand for change in the party, and despite the fact that the media, which mainly tends to publicize the position of Han’s opponents, is hyping the conflict between him and the president, the present author sees Han as the best hope for the renewal of the Conservatives.
*-banned in Russia
Konstantin Asmolov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Leading research fellow at the Center for Korean Studies, part of the China and Modern Asia Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
