Ihn Yo-han says he'll speak truth to power in effort to revamp PPP

The new head of the People Power Party's innovation committee said he plans to visit Gwangju and show respect to those that had fallen during the 1980 uprise, a pivotal democratic movement, as his first official engagement

Ihn Yo-han whose English name is John Linton, speaks to reporters at the People Power Party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Wednesday. [YONHAP]

The head of the new People Power Party’s new innovative committee, Ihn Yo-han, also known as John Linton, said he will not hesitate when speaking to President Yoon Suk Yeol or the party.

Ihn reaffirmed his commitment to revamp the party when meeting with reporters at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Wednesday.

“During my life, there were things I have done well and things I haven’t,” Ihn said. “Like any other family, my life is complex, and I have gone through a divorce and remarried.”

Ihn, however, said that despite his personal issues, he is entirely focused on bringing about changes.

“Even if I am broken down, even if I am sacrificed and even if I am hurt, I will do my best,” Ihn said.

The new head of the president’s party innovation committee said he plans to visit Gwangju and pay respects to the victims of the May 18th Gwangju Democratization Movement of 1980 as his first official engagement.

“Once our committee members are selected, I plan to visit the May 18 Cemetery with the committee members,” Ihn said. “I think it is right that we should start from there.”

A physician and professor at Yonsei University’s College of Medicine, Ihn played a significant role during the Gwangju Uprising when he served as an interpreter for the citizens’ army.

Ihn was a first-year medical student at Yonsei University at the time.

Ihn emphasized the significance of establishing a solid foundation when asked about changing the party’s rule for selecting candidates to run in the parliamentary election in April next year.

Ihn plans to announce the members of the committee on Thursday.

Ihn has consistently emphasized the need for reform since accepting the PPP’s request to lead the party’s reform, even invoking a famous quote by late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

During a business trip to Frankfurt, Germany, in 1993, the Samsung Group chairman urged his employees to undertake a significant transformation by instructing them to “change everything except for your wife and children.”

Ihn, a naturalized Korean, comes from a family with a history of significant contributions to Korean society.

His great-grandfather, Eugene Bell, was an American Southern Presbyterian missionary who established several Christian churches and schools in southwestern Korea. He also helped establish Jaejoong Hospital, currently Gwangju Christian Hospital.

Ihn’s grandfather, William Linton, the son-in-law of Bell, a medical doctor, helped write the Korean declaration of independence of 1919 during the Japanese occupation and was the personal physician of Kim Koo, the independence activist and a founding member of the Korean provincial government.

Ihn himself was born and raised in South Jeolla.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]