Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon mentioned as a possible candidate for the leader of PPP’s emergency committee

There is a growing movement in the pro-Yoon Suk-yeol faction in the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) to nominate Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon to head its emergency committee.

Some say that President Yoon Suk-yeol is also thinking about nominating veteran politician and the chief of the presidential committee on national unity Kim Han-gil as a new leader of PPP’s emergency committee, but the members of the pro-Yoon faction are driving Yoon to pick Han.

It was at the PPP’s general meeting on December 15 when Han started to be mentioned for a new leader of the emergency committee. Lawmakers in the pro-Yoon faction, including Kim Sung-won and Kim Seok-ki, recommended Han as a new leader, citing his “national recognition.”

Some say that nominating minister Han as a new leader of the committee shows Yoon’s intention to secure the nomination right for the general election even when Yoon is in crisis due to the exercise of his right to veto and the revoting about the independent counsel team’s investigation on First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

However, there are also strong criticisms. “If it doesn't work out with Lee Myung-bak (as it did in the general election in 2012), the equation for success is to have Park Geun-hye lead the general election," PPP’s former party leader Lee Jun-seok said on MBC radio on the 14th. "The idea of silencing the voice of pushing for regime change with the regime’s second-in-command is ridiculous,” Lee added.
There is also an atmosphere among PPP’s active lawmakers to worry about a shake-up of the party through minister Han who is not indebted to political figures or factions, considering former PPP leader Kim Gi-hyeon was, in fact, kicked out after refusing to accept the pro-Yoon’s demand of Kim not to run in the general election.

Some argued that Yoon wants Kim Han-gil to become a new leader of the emergency committee.

A lawmaker, who asked not to be named, said on a phone interview, "I heard from someone who recently spoke to Yoon that the only person the president can speak his mind is Kim, but he is under pressure because of the bad response from the party and public opinion," adding, "It seems that Yoon has not yet decided who to choose as a new leader between Han and Kim, but the members of pro-Yoon faction are pushing him to choose Han."
On December 18, PPP’s floor leader and acting party leader Yun Jae-ok will hold a meeting to collect opinions on a new leader of the emergency committee.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.