Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon has raised his profile with daily, aggressive commentary on a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone along the western front. After running out ahead on his own during the withdrawal of Kim Seung-won as justice minister nominee, Han is again targeting the same issue as the People Power Party while carving out his own political space through separate moves.
Han has posted more than 80 related messages on his Facebook account since the 21st of this month, when the mine blast occurred in the western-front DMZ, according to political sources on the 28th. On the 24th and 26th, during the Chuseok holiday, he staged a one-man protest and held a press conference in front of the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul's Yongsan district, calling for disclosure of how the accident happened and an immediate start to an investigation.
His moves are seen as an attempt to expand his political standing and visibility by taking on the government and the ruling party directly over a new issue following Kim's withdrawal. In particular, Han is continuing a "divide and conquer" approach similar to the one he used during the offensive over Kim's nomination, raising specific allegations and questions about individual matters and forcing the ruling camp to respond. He is also pouring out dozens of social media messages a day while showing up in person at relevant sites, increasing his exposure.
The People Power Party has also mounted an intense offensive, led by members of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee and the party leadership. Defense committee members, who can communicate directly with military authorities, are digging into how the accident occurred and why the investigation has been delayed, while the leadership, including party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, has put President Lee Jae-myung's responsibility front and center in an organized party-level campaign to sway public opinion.
In the process, however, strong terms such as "impeachment," "the crime of foreign aggression" and "treasonous acts" have surfaced. While some wasteful argument driven by political interests may be unavoidable for the main opposition party, which has no choice but to confront the Democratic Party across the board in parliament, some point out that political sparring may be getting ahead of establishing the facts about the cause of the accident and the investigation.
Han Builds Profile Outside the Party, Stacking Up Allies and a Rationale for Returning
Some analysts say Han's move to claim individual issues first is aimed at eventually rejoining the People Power Party. The strategy, they say, is to broaden his base of support through an active fight against the ruling camp while also securing allies in parliament, creating conditions favorable to his return. In particular, rather than demanding a return himself, he is seen as focusing on making the argument for his role emerge naturally within the party through his offensive against the ruling camp.
Lawmakers close to Han have indeed been issuing messages in step with his moves in a show of support, while some People Power Party lawmakers not counted among his allies have also joined calls to embrace him. Asked on BBS radio on the 22nd about criticism within the party belittling his activity, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun said, "The party leadership should embrace him in a broad-minded way." He added, "Isn't it rather pitiable that Han Dong-hoon is fighting from outside the party? With the larger cause of saving the Republic of Korea, we should be thinking about bringing in everyone, whether it is Han Dong-hoon or Lee Jun-seok."
Separately from calls for his return, some have argued the party should make use of Han's offensive against the ruling camp. Appearing on Channel A's YouTube channel on the 10th, People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jae-sup said of Kim's confirmation hearing, "Han should of course go as a hearing member." He added, "There is no reason at all for the People Power Party to turn that down. Raising questions about a justice minister nominee with many problems is the duty of an opposition party." Such sentiment within the party is unlikely to lead immediately to Han's return, but observers say it could spark full-fledged discussion later.
As positive assessments of Han's offensive against the ruling camp accumulate inside and outside the party, public opinion favorable to his return is also emerging. In a Gallup Korea survey in July this year, 28% of all respondents supported his return, 9 percentage points below those opposed. Among People Power Party supporters, the split was close, with 42% in favor and 44% against.
More recent surveys, however, show a majority of People Power Party supporters backing his return, indicating favorable sentiment centered on the party's base. In a poll conducted by pollster STI for the Hankook Ilbo and released on the 21st of this month, 33.2% supported his return and 32.4% opposed it, a similar level. Among People Power Party supporters, 53.5% were in favor and 33.3% opposed, a majority backing his return.
Whether Han's growing profile and favorable opinion will translate into a return anytime soon remains uncertain. On the 25th of this month, Jang again drew a line, citing an ongoing police investigation into the "party members' bulletin board" case involving Han. "Until the problem is resolved, it is not appropriate even to mention the issue of rejoining the party," he said. With wariness about Han's "solo play" still lingering among some in the party's leadership faction, restoring ties with the leadership and expanding his allies in parliament are cited as additional tasks before actual discussions on his return can begin.
The Gallup Korea survey cited in this article was conducted from July 14 to 16 among 1,003 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide. It used computer-assisted telephone interviews, with a response rate of 11.1% and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The STI survey was conducted from the 14th to the 17th of this month among 2,000 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide. It was carried out through a smartphone app survey and an internet survey via text message, with a response rate of 4.6% and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
