Korea's conservative party faces generational shift as new interim leaders assumes post

Given that the former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon is 50, it is believed that the party's leadership will undergo a generational shift.
Han is even considered as the next presidential candidate, beating DP leader Lee Jae-myung in a survey.

People Power Party's new interim leader Han Dong-hoon makes a speech at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuessday. Han announced that he will not run in next year's parlimentary election. [YONHAP]

As former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon officially became the interim leader of the conservative People Power Party on Tuesday, attention is turning to the selection of the 12 new leadership members.

Despite Han's low profile since leaving the Justice Ministry on Thursday, expectations are rising that the new emergency steering committee members will be finalized by Friday.

Given that Han is 50, it is widely believed that the party's leadership will undergo a generational shift. Members of the party, including Rep. Ha Tae-keung, have voiced a demand for a leadership team comprised of younger individuals born in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Within the party, several proposals suggest that the leadership should include individuals from the middle class, born or residing in the greater Seoul area, marking a departure from its tradition of heavy dependence on the Gyeongsang provinces.

This approach aims to garner support from the younger generation, particularly considering that Seoul and Gyeonggi have been strongholds of the rival Democratic Party.

In the 2020 parliamentary election, the Democratic Party secured victory in 17 out of 25 districts in Seoul and obtained 51 seats in Gyeonggi, compared to the People Power Party's seven.

Consequently, DP secured a landslide victory, capturing 60 percent of the 300 parliamentary seats with 180, compared to the PPP's 34.3 percent, translating to 103 seats.

A recent internal study within the PPP, as reported by Chosun Ilbo, revealed that the conservative party only has a strong presence in six districts in Seoul, two fewer than four years ago.

Emergency leadership candidates According to a report from JoongAng Ilbo, one speculated candidate to join Han's emergency steering committee is the liberal Transition Korea’s Rep. Cho Jung-hun.

Cho initiated his political career with the DP but switched to the PPP in September after his liberal party merged with the conservative party.

Cho is expected to play a role in expanding the party’s outreach to a younger audience and swing voters, diverging from the PPP's traditional base of older individuals primarily residing in the Gyeongsang province.

Although Cho and the former justice minister are nearly the same age, with Cho being a year older, their relationship reportedly developed since July, notably after Han advocated for the Justice Ministry’s agenda of establishing an independent immigration agency.

Despite having no prior relationship, the two reportedly became close during National Assembly sessions.

In a recent radio show interview, the lawmaker stated that he has constantly communicated with the justice minister since the discussion on the immigration agency.

He mentioned that, as both men abstain from alcohol, their conversations take place over diet coke.

“When I meet with Han, we talk about the future role of the younger generation in politics, which is currently dominated by the activist generations of people who went to school in the 1980s,” Cho told the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday.

Another potential candidate under consideration is Joo Jin-woo, the president's legal affairs secretary.

The 48-year-old, a former prosecutor, also studied law at Seoul National University, the alma mater of both Han and Yoon.

Joo left the prosecutors’ office in 2019 in what was widely seen as a demotion for investigating blacklisting by the Environment Ministry during the Moon Jae-in government. His situation is reminiscent of Han, who was considered sidelined by Moon’s Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, for investigating Choo’s predecessor and the secretary to President Moon, Cho Kuk.

Joo also served as a defense attorney for Han in a trial where the former justice minister was accused of illegally collaborating with a journalist to frame Rhyu Si-min, a significant figure in the DP.

While Han was acquitted, the higher court recently fined Rhyu 5 million won ($3,800) for defaming the former justice minister by accusing him of illegally investigating Rhyu and the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation.

As reported by local media, other individuals being considered for leadership roles include economist and former PPP Rep. Yun Hee-suk, blind pianist and PPP Rep. Kim Yea-ji, and forensic psychologist Professor Lee Soo-jung.

Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon signing autographs after visiting the Seongnam city office on Dec. 13. [YONHAP]

Han's rising popularity Recent surveys indicate a rise in Han's popularity, placing him in competition with DP Chief Lee Jae-myung, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2022 election.

Han's growing popularity appears to have a positive impact on the conservative party, which has faced turmoil in recent months.

According to a Realmeter poll conducted between Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 with 1,003 participants, the PPP gained 39 percent support, while the rivaling Democratic Party received 41.6 percent.

In contrast to the DP, which saw a 3.1 percentage point drop in support compared to the previous week, the PPP's support increased by 2.3 percentage points.

The gap between the two parties, which was 8 percentage points the previous week, has now narrowed to 2.6 percentage points.

This represents the narrowest difference since the second week of March when the DP secured 42.6 percent support compared to the PPP's 41.5 percent.

According to another survey by RnSearch conducted between Dec. 20 and Dec. 22 with 1,020 respondents, the PPP's support increased by 3.5 percentage points compared to the previous week, reaching 38.1 percent, while the DP's support dipped by 0.6 percentage points during the same period to 45.7 percent.

The survey indicated that 34.3 percent expressed support for Han as the interim leader of the conservative party. Han received a substantial backing of 66.3 percent among PPP supporters, surpassing other candidates with 10 percent or less support.

A KopraLab survey last week also suggested that Han leads as the next presidential candidate against DP leader Lee.

In this survey of 1,006 people between Dec. 20 and 21, 45 percent chose Han as the next presidential candidate, while 41 percent chose Lee. Moreover, 47 percent preferred Han, compared to 42 percent for Lee.

Challenges However, Han is confronting several challenges, including the DP's push for a special prosecutor's investigation into alleged stock manipulation involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and the PPP's former leader Lee Jun-seok, who will leave the party to start his own on Dec. 27.

On Monday, the government and the party agreed to reject the DP’s demand for a special investigation into the first lady, considering it politically motivated to undermine the PPP ahead of next year’s parliamentary election.

Han, the former justice minister, reiterated last week that no one is above the law, subtly alluding to the first lady.

However, he emphasized that the DP plans to push the independent counsel bill through the National Assembly on Dec. 28 is unjust.

Han pointed out that the DP is promoting a bill that could serve as propaganda against a rival party just before the election.

The proposed bill stands in stark contrast to investigations conducted during the Moon Jae-in government, notably the case involving Cho Kuk.

The criminal law reform in 2020 prohibited prosecutors from publicly announcing details of ongoing investigations.

The DP's bill, on the other hand, calls for the investigation team to provide real-time progress updates and for the independent prosecutor to be chosen only by the rivaling parties of the PPP.

The DP is under investigation by the prosecutors' office for spreading misinformation that attempted to frame then-PPP presidential candidate Yoon as the mastermind of a major development scandal in which DP leader Lee is implicated.

According to local reports, the anticipated candidate to lead the investigation is the former chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Lee Sung-yoon, who has a history of opposition against Yoon and Han.

Lee previously headed the investigation against the first lady in 2020 when he was in charge of the Seoul office. He also led the investigation against Han, who was ultimately acquitted.

Despite objections from the PPP, a survey conducted by Gallup Korea between Dec. 18 and 19 found that 67 percent of respondents were in favor of initiating a special prosecutors’ investigation against the first lady.

The breakdown of support showed that 42 percent of individuals categorized as conservative favored the investigation, while 90 percent of those identifying as liberal supported it. Additionally, 73 percent of moderate respondents were in favor of the investigation.

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