Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon is driving the opposition's attacks on the government, seizing the initiative on issues ranging from the withdrawal of former justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won to a suspected land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone. The Democratic Party has pushed back against Han's claims day after day, which has paradoxically raised his political standing. Lingering discontent within the People Power Party over leader Jang Dong-hyuk's handling of the party since its defeat in the June 3 local elections is also giving fresh momentum to calls for Han's readmission.
Han began setting the opposition's agenda during the confirmation hearing process for Kim, the former nominee. Han led the vetting by repeatedly raising allegations that Kim had lobbied for approval of a clinical trial for a new drug. The Democratic Party countered by alleging that Han was using investigative material illegally leaked from the prosecution, but Kim ultimately stepped aside, and Han emerged with a stronger profile as the opposition's chief attacker on the government.
Since Kim's withdrawal, the pattern has repeated itself, with Han staking out new issues and the governing bloc rebutting him. The most prominent example is the recent suspected land mine blast in the DMZ along the western front. Han staged a one-person protest outside the Ministry of National Defense on the 24th, demanding an immediate on-site investigation, and then argued that the United Nations Command had called for a prompt field inquiry but that the South Korean military refused, faulting the government's response.
Han's objections over the DMZ incident quickly spilled into a partisan dispute. Kim Byung-joo, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former army general, told Han to "shut up if you don't know anything," arguing that rushing an on-site investigation could endanger soldiers. The exchange widened as Han again took aim at the government and the Democratic Party. The military says the blast site is close to the Military Demarcation Line and has no existing search route, so safety must be secured before any field investigation.
As the dispute spread, the military and the U.N. Command sent personnel into the DMZ on the 26th to begin clearing an access route and surveying operating conditions for a field investigation. Han said the two sides planned to conduct a joint on-site investigation on the 27th. The military, however, maintains that details such as the timing of the investigation are security matters directly tied to the safety of the inspection team.
As the Democratic Party keeps taking him on, the contest has increasingly become framed as the governing bloc versus Han Dong-hoon. With a first-term independent raising an issue, the governing bloc rebutting it and Han hitting back again, some within the governing camp have complained that the party is "needlessly building up his profile." Criticism has also been directed at Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok for labeling Han "Yoon Dong-hoon," suggesting he and former President Yoon are one and the same, with critics saying such naming only broadens Han's political footing.
Han's rising profile stands in contrast to the People Power Party's leadership. Internal differences over Jang's leadership and management of the party have gone unresolved since the June 3 local election defeat, even as Han, from outside the party, stakes out one major issue after another against the government.
The trend also shows up in polling. In a Gallup Korea survey of 1,002 adults aged 18 and over nationwide conducted from the 15th to the 17th, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, 21% said Jang was doing a good job and 61% said he was doing a poor job. Among People Power Party supporters, 39% rated him positively and 49% negatively.
That coincides with renewed talk of Han rejoining the party. While Jang has repeatedly ruled out Han's return, a considerable share of People Power Party supporters favor bringing him back. In a survey of 2,000 adults aged 18 and over nationwide conducted from the 14th to the 17th by STI for The Hankook Ilbo, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, 53.5% of People Power Party supporters backed Han's readmission, while 33.3% opposed it. Among all respondents, 33.2% were in favor, 32.4% opposed and 34.3% said they were unsure.
Analysts say Han is expanding his presence by moving into the political space that has opened between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party. A political source said that "as the Democratic Party and the government keep pushing back against the issues Han raises, he has secured room to lead the opposition's agenda against the government even from outside the party," adding that "within the People Power Party, calls for his readmission are gaining strength again, tied to discontent over Jang's leadership."
Further details of the surveys are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
