“The people’s will is 5,000,000 times more important than Yoon’s intention.”
“Yoon is now just an ordinary party member… The time for recommending expulsion or withdrawal has passed.”
[Herald Economy = Joo So-hyun] Han Dong-hoon, a prospective candidate from the People Power Party, stated on the 16th, “It seems that many (of the People Power Party’s prospective) candidates, excluding me, are talking about ‘Yoon’s intention’ and ‘selling Yoon’s intention’. In South Korea, the public sentiment is 5,000,000 times more important than Yoon’s intention.”
In an interview on KBS radio, in response to a question about “where Yoon’s intention lies” in the People Power Party’s presidential primary process, Han answered this way.
When asked about the possibility of expulsion or withdrawal advice for former President Yoon Seok-yeol, he replied, “He is an ordinary party member. Though an important figure, the stage for the party to dictate his actions has passed.”
Han said, “When I was the party representative, I tried to manage the crisis. Although I instructed for an ethical committee referral, it did not materialize,” but added, “In the situation where he was impeached and removed from presidency, I’m not sure if it’s necessary to talk about this ahead of the election.”
During his presidential run announcement, he emphasized the need not to undervalue the Yoon Seok-yeol administration as he highlighted the rebuilding of South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation and the restoration of the nuclear power ecosystem. Han explained, “Looking at the recent economic situation, it’s similar to the era of mercantilism. The government intervenes directly and fights like a war.”
He continued, “In this situation, the bloc we find ourselves in is important, and the Democratic Party will choose the North Korea-China-Russia bloc. Enough to cite North Korea-China-Russia diplomatic failures as one of the grounds for Yoon’s first impeachment. Restoring South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation in such a situation is a commendable decision and achievement.”
Regarding nuclear power, he said, “In the AI (artificial intelligence) era, the most critical function of government is power supply,” noting that “restoring the severe distortion in the power structure caused by the Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy, and exporting nuclear power to the Czech Republic, are achievements that deserve historical recollection.”
Addressing the diagnosis that former President Yoon’s failures stem from a lack of political influence and the question of whether he could collaborate well, Han responded, “Although my career as a professional politician is short, getting driven out and then coming back, crawling back painstakingly shows I know how to do politics.”
Furthermore, Han stressed, “Many talk about experience, but I’ve never engaged in old-school politics. I don’t have judicial or engineering-related risks,” adding, “I have the experience of conveying public sentiment to the authorities and not flattery to avoid upsetting those in power.”