Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, known as the chief antagonist of Kim Seung-won, has taken the lead in attacking the ruling party in recent weeks, and the mood inside the People Power Party is shifting. A majority of PPP supporters now favor his readmission to the party. Still, the party leadership continues to keep its distance from Han, and observers say many hurdles remain before he can actually rejoin.
In a survey of 2,000 men and women aged 18 and over conducted nationwide from the 14th to the 17th of this month by pollster STI at the request of the Hankook Ilbo, 33.2% of all respondents said they supported the readmission of Han, who was expelled from the PPP. Those opposed accounted for 32.4%, leaving the two sides evenly split within the margin of error. Another 34.3% said they were unsure.
The picture changed sharply when the sample was narrowed to PPP supporters. Support for his readmission reached 53.5%, a majority, while opposition stood at just 33.3%. Among conservatives, 48.1% were in favor and 31.3% opposed.
As recently as early this year, negative sentiment toward Han prevailed among PPP supporters. In the National Barometer Survey conducted from Jan. 19 to 21, shortly after his expulsion, by Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research among 1,001 men and women aged 18 and over, 53% of PPP supporters called the decision to expel Han "a good decision," while 39% called it "a bad decision." Analysts said at the time that resistance to Han within the party stemmed from a combination of factors: his record of clashing with the Yoon Suk-yeol government while serving as emergency committee chairman and party leader, and his conduct during the martial law and impeachment episodes. Concerns that Han could seize control of the party or wield nomination power if he returned added to the resistance, giving rise to the term "Han-phobia."
The shift in how PPP supporters view Han appears to owe much to his combative stance against the ruling party since entering the National Assembly. Immediately after the second-term cabinet lineup of the Lee Jae-myung government was announced in August, Han began raising a series of allegations surrounding Kim Seung-won, then the nominee for justice minister. He drove the story in particular by releasing a transcript related to alleged bribery and influence-peddling (referred to in Korean media as the "oppa poison lobby" scandal) involving Kim's older brother. Kim ultimately withdrew from the nomination on the 19th. Even after the withdrawal, Han has kept up the pressure over allegations of sexual harassment and drunk driving.
Han has recently been broadening contacts beyond his close allies to lawmakers with weaker factional ties. After publicly stating that he was in communication with PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun during the confirmation hearing process, he has been actively engaging with senior lawmakers including Kim Gi-hyeon. He recently sent Gupo noodles from his constituency in Buk-gu, Busan, to every PPP lawmaker, along with a message saying he would "join forces with them."
The party leadership's position on Han's readmission, however, remains firm. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk has drawn a line against readmission, saying of Han that he is "someone who was expelled for criminal conduct, not for acting against the party." Na Kyung-won, a senior PPP lawmaker, said she "highly values the hard fight he has put up," but added that "he clearly needs to offer a clear explanation and state his position on matters such as the party members' bulletin board issue."
