Interview with Han Dong-hoon, Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee in Daejeon

2024-03-22 20:01:15
Han Dong-hoon, Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, is being interviewed by this newspaper at a coffee shop in Seo-gu, Daejeon, on the followingnoon of the 21st. /Reporter Shin Hyeon-jong

Han Dong-hoon, Chairman of the People Power Emergency Response Committee, said of the April general election in an interview with this newspaper, “It is an election that will prevent the attempts of extremist forces such as descendants of the Unified Progressive Party and Cho Kuk to take over the Republic of Korea.” He called it a “crisis of democracy” as members of the old Unified Progressive Party are trying to enter the National Assembly in solidarity with the Democratic Party, and former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who was sentenced to prison on charges of corruption in children’s entrance exams, is running for a seat in the National Assembly. Chairman Han said, “In short, Cho Kuk is an extremist force in that it seeks revenge on the Korean judicial system even following being found guilty. There are extremists in every society, but if they enter the mainstream, democracy or economic development based on common sense is impossible.” .

Regarding the general election situation, Chairman Han said, “I still feel like it’s 2 outs, 2 strikes in the bottom of the 9th inning, just like when I took over as emergency committee chair,” and added, “The trend may change as the election campaign has now begun.” At the same time, he said, “The People Power Party is a force that conforms to the public sentiment and listens to the public sentiment,” and added, “I hope that the people will recognize that it is different from a force that ignores and rejects the public sentiment.” Regarding the relatively high criticism of the regime, he said, “It is because we are insufficient,” and “We are struggling now to follow the will of the people.”

In response to calls for the early return of Australian Ambassador Lee Jong-seop and the resignation of Hwang Sang-moo, former Senior Secretary for Civil Society in the President’s Office, “We cannot say that the government’s previous position was wrong, but we should look into why the public dislikes this and change our position accordingly.” He said.

The interview with emergency committee chairman Han Dong-hoon was held at a cafe in Daejeon at 10 p.m. on the 21st. Chairman Han did not go to Seoul following finishing his campaign in Daegu and Gyeongbuk that day, but arrived in Daejeon around 10 p.m. Starting the next morning, he was to visit Boryeong and Dangjin in South Chungcheong Province and attend the ‘West Sea Defense Day’ ceremony held at the 2nd Navy Fleet in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. He met with Chairman Han for regarding an hour before entering the residence.

A chairman contacted in Daejeon said, “I was on my way back following eating a bowl of ramen at a rest area.” It is said that on this followingnoon alone, he went around the market and three shopping malls and said hello. The reporter was given ‘chestnut yanggaeng’ as a snack. The attendant brought coffee and water, but Chairman Han did not take a sip throughout the interview and spoke his thoughts at a fast pace as usual. He only stopped answering when he greeted cafe customers who recognized him. Chairman Han’s hands were all chapped from shaking hands with his supporters.

-What do you think regarding the results of the general election?

“I was brought in because it was an extremely difficult situation, and the situation has changed several times in the past three months. Have there been any instances in the past when the predicted seats were correct in general elections? There is a lot of variation in the data I see. There is no need to dilly-dally. However, this is an election that cannot be lost. I think it is not a time to look at numbers (expected seats), but to win by risking everything. “No matter what happens, I will do my best until the end.”

Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, is greeting citizens along with Secretary General Jang Dong-hyuk and candidate Jeong Yong-seon at the traditional market in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, on the followingnoon of the 22nd./Newsis

-When you visit the site, what is the public sentiment like?

“Sometimes so many people gather that your feet are in the air. But he believes that as a politician, one must keep one’s cool. I also know that there are many people who did not come there and are critical. Some people are worried regarding prices and say, ‘Please help me live well.’ Among those who sent letters, there are many victims of crime. I believe that the human rights of crime victims are more important than those of criminals. It is problematic that the Democratic Party nominated someone like Jo Soo-jin (attorney). Sex offenders also have the right to be defended, but when a girl is raped, there is no case where a lawyer mentions the possibility of (sexual violence) by a family member as a way to defend the offender. Those who referred to women who were victims of sexual violence as ‘victim complainants’ were all nominated by the Democratic Party. “The People Power Party differs from the Democratic Party in its attitude toward crime victims.” Attorney Cho voluntarily resigned his candidacy in the early morning of the 22nd, immediately following the interview.

-Some point out that the general election message contains only criticism of the opposition party.

“Lee Jae-myung and Cho Kuk’s solidarity with criminals, and the fact that pro-North Korea forces, which have even been ruled unconstitutional, enter the mainstream and prevent South Korea from moving backwards should not be viewed only as a negative (blame war). Even if there is a crime, there may be forces that lie that there is no crime. Representative Lee Jae-myeong is like that. However, it is an extremist force that does not care if they are found guilty and will seek revenge. If Representative Lee turns the Democratic Party into a political party and turns it into a host for extremist forces, they can become the mainstream. Hitler was also a small extremist force at first, but he colluded with Germany’s mainstream political parties and took power as the chancellor. The moment extremists control the lives of citizens, democracy collapses. So this is an election we can’t lose.”

-Isn’t that an excessive concern?

“If extremist forces become mainstream, they will repeat impeachment attempts to get what they want. Diplomacy is also influenced by these people, not national interests. All countries that have fallen from normal democracy over the past 100 years, such as some South American countries, have done the same thing. Extremist forces are outside the mainstream and use the weaknesses of the mainstream as a host to come in, completely dominate the mainstream, and destroy democracy. In a country like Korea, democracy and economic development go hand in hand. In that respect, preventing extremist forces is also protecting the economy.”

-The regime judgment theory still prevails.

“Because we are not enough. So, I reflected and said, ‘I will fix everything that is lacking. I will fix it flexibly. I’m telling you, ‘I’ll make sure you like it.’ “We are struggling very hard to meet what the people want.”

-Ambassador Lee Jong-seop returned to Korea and urged Senior Secretary Hwang Sang-moo to resign.

“Yongsan’s existing position cannot be considered wrong. There is logic. However, we can look into why the public dislikes this and change our stance accordingly. You can say, ‘Do it right from the beginning’, but as Voltaire said, common sense may not be that common. We judged based on common sense, but citizens may want more. In my experience, there are times when a leader must stick to the principles until the end, but when the judgments of the leader and the public differ, the public is often right. “As a mass political party, I think we must respond humbly and humbly to the people’s opinions.”

-Did you make a suggestion directly to the President?

“I won’t go into detail, but I talk to the President’s Office in a variety of ways. If you don’t, it’s not a normal situation. “I think the President’s Office, as a leader, respected the opinions of citizens.”

-There were also rumors of conflict with the president.

“I have maintained a relationship of trust with the President for a very long time. That relationship of trust was maintained because, although there were many cases where we had different opinions, we respected each other’s opinions and did not force our opinions. “Both the President and I are people with important public duties, and I think all we have to do is do our best in our public roles with a sense of duty.”

Han Dong-hoon, Chairman of the People Power Party Emergency Response Committee, is being interviewed by this newspaper at a coffee shop in Seo-gu, Daejeon, on the followingnoon of the 21st. /Reporter Shin Hyeon-jong

-How do you evaluate the ruling party’s nomination?

“I thought we should never go in the direction of creating personal power or expelling anyone, and I think we firmly maintained the system for that. Among the 254 constituency candidates and those ranked at the top of the proportional list, not a single one was ordered by me. She started from the beginning saying, ‘Let’s not spoon here because I’m really not going to do it.’ During the nomination process, why didn’t anyone send me a message recommending someone or introducing themselves via Telegram (mobile phone messenger)? However, I ‘read and did not respond’ to such messages. “I think there were a lot of people who were upset.”

-Some say that even 10 seats in Gyeonggi Province are dangerous. Is there a strategy to make up for it in the metropolitan area?

“Voters in the metropolitan area are very sensitive to the future of the country. I plan to explain clear promises backed by the budget. We lost badly in the last general election, so we are in a position of catching up. Now the full-fledged election campaign begins. “We will definitely implement political reforms such as reducing the salaries of National Assembly members to the level of the national median income, establishing a new Ministry of Population, and expanding support for childcare leave.”

-What are your plans following the general election?

“I’m not really thinking regarding following the general election. Some people say, ‘What Han Dong-hoon is saying now is useless because he will go abroad to study following the general election.’ I am a responsible person. I appeared on an important stage very quickly. “I will stick to my original intention and pursue politics.”

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