Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon to lead the PPP’s emergency committee

Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon gets into a vehicle after a handover ceremony at Government Complex Gwacheon on Nov. 21. By Kwon Do-hyun

The ruling People's Power Party (PPP) officially named former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon as the leader of the party’s emergency committee on December 21. After accepting the proposal, Han submitted his resignation to President Yoon Suk-yeol who immediately accepted it.

The appointment of Han, who has been dubbed the "avatar of Yoon," is seen as a declaration that the ruling party will hold next year's general election under the direct control of Yoon.

Yun Jae-ok, the PPP’s floor leader and acting party leader, held an emergency meeting in the National Assembly and said, "After listening to many opinions, we decided to recommend Minister Han Dong-hoon as the new leader of the party’s emergency committee today,” adding, “And Han accepted the proposal." As a result, former prosecutors are serving their terms as the president and the leader of the ruling party, respectively.

This comes eight days after the resignation of former party leader Kim Gi-hyeon on the 13th. The pro-Yoon faction highly recommended Han as the candidate saying it was the intention of Yoon and Han accepted the proposal, silencing the voice of criticism and negative opinions towards him in the party.

After the emergency meeting, the PPP held a video conference of the supreme committee to approve an agenda to convene a national committee to appoint a new leader of the emergency committee. If the National Committee votes on a non-face-to-face automated response system (ARS) vote on the 26th, former minister Han will be officially inaugurated as the new leader. It is expected that a joint emergency committee will be officially launched after the appointment of emergency committee members.

"I wanted to stand on the side of the common people and the weak, and I wanted to prepare for the future of the country," Han said at the farewell ceremony at the Government Complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 21st. He added, "Anything wrong or insufficient from what I’ve done was probably due to my lack of ability. I hope I can say the same no matter what I do in the future, when I finish it.”

Han also said to reporters, "I feel a greater sense of responsibility to do well for my fellow citizens and the country in the face of an extraordinary reality. If it's the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and two strikes, even if you don't get the ball you want, even if you don't know if it's a strike or a ball, you have to swing the bat without regret.” He added, "I am trying to take the lead with the compass of the common sense of the people and the thoughts of the people." Regarding the appointment of emergency committee members, he said, "We will recruit talented people who can devote passionately to the people." Regarding the relation between the party and the presidential office, he said, "Whether it is the president, the ruling party, or the government, we have to work together for the people within the constitution and laws. We will listen to various voices and speak out with one voice to make the party win when we need to."

Han Min-soo, a spokesperson for the Minjoo Party, said in a commentary, "Minister Han should first dispel public concerns that he will give a large number of nominations to PPP members who are closely related to the presidential office or of former prosecutors and block the Special Prosecutor Act for Kim Keon-hee not to pass with his whole body."

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