PPP chief nixes resignation request as presidential spat escalates

An unexpected standoff between President Yoon Suk Yeol and one of his most trusted confidants, Han Dong-hoon, over a controversy surrounding the first lady has tested relations between the government and the leader of the People Power Party.

People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Han Dong-hoon takes a seat to convene an emergency steering committee meeting at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Monday, after announcing he has no plans to resign amid a reported request from the presidential office for him to step down. [NEWS1]

An unexpected standoff between President Yoon Suk Yeol and one of his most trusted confidants, Han Dong-hoon, over a controversy surrounding the first lady has tested relations between the government and the interim leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP).

PPP's interim chief Han, a prosecutor-turned-politician, said Monday he rejected a reported request for his resignation by the presidential office.

This comes amid reports Sunday of tensions between Han and the presidential office over the former justice minister's handling of allegations of first lady Kim Keon Hee accepting a luxury bag and election nominations.

The clash between Yoon and Han could pose the biggest challenge to the president's political power to date and a watershed moment with just 80 days left until the April 10 parliamentary elections.

Presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup reportedly met with Han on Sunday and delivered a request from Yoon for Han to step down as chief of the PPP's emergency steering committee.

However, Han, still in his salad days as chairman of the PPP's emergency steering committee, rebuffed pressure to resign.

"I understand that my term will continue until after the general election," Han told reporters at the National Assembly Monday morning, essentially confirming the reports and reiterating his intention to continue serving as the PPP's interim chairman through the April parliamentary elections. "I will not make an evaluation. It is difficult to discuss specific details about the process because I rejected the request for a resignation."

Yoon, in turn, didn't attend a fifth public livelihood debate scheduled for Monday morning.

The presidential office abruptly notified reporters just 30 minutes before the debate that the president had no official schedule for the day, prompting speculation about whether the absence was related to the controversy with Han.

Yoon has attended all previous four public livelihood debates, a series of town hall meetings since the beginning of the year involving officials and private citizens to discuss key issues, which comes instead of a customary presidential New Year's press conference.

A presidential official said Monday that Yoon's absence that day was due to cold symptoms.

Later in the afternoon, Yoon presided over a closed-door meeting with his senior secretaries at Yongsan, said the presidential office in a statement, focusing on support for after school care and other social issues.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Han Dong-hoon at a New Year’s event held at the Blue House state guest house in central Seoul on Jan. 3. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Han, a prosecutor who often worked with Yoon on tough anticorruption cases, was named Yoon's first justice minister in May 2022. After he stepped down from the minister post, Han took over as chairman of the PPP's emergency steering committee on Dec. 26, with around four months left until the April general elections.

In his first response to reports that the presidential office had asked him to resign as PPP's interim leader after being reportedly displeased with how he has handled the allegations against the first lady, Han said Sunday he would "do his job."

When asked about "risks" involving the first lady harming the party, Han told reporters Monday that his "position has not changed since the beginning" on this matter.

"The April 10 general elections are crucial for the people and the future of this country," Han said. "That's why I accepted this position with the determination to give it my all, and although I am lacking, I have done my best."

On whether he believed the presidential office should take a step back to resolve the conflict, Han only replied, "It's not my place to make such an assessment."

The PPP had been divided over allegations Kim received a Christian Dior handbag valued at around 3 million won ($2,240) as a gift from a Korean American pastor in September 2022, first reported on Nov. 29 by a liberal YouTube news channel.

The pastor filmed the exchange secretly using a hidden camera, and the YouTube channel that released the footage reportedly provided the bag.

Some PPP members have called for an apology from Kim.

Last week, Han addressed the luxury bag allegations against the first lady in public and told reporters, "There is something for the public to worry about."

He said it is "a matter to think about from the public's perspective," though he said the incident was a "spy cam setup."

Han has also supported a bid by Kim Gyeong-ryul, a member of the PPP's emergency steering committee, to run in a district in Mapo District, western Seoul, against a sitting Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker for the general elections, raising questions of fairness in the election nomination process. Some PPP members accused Han of making a "private nomination" and ignoring the proper procedures.

Kim Gyeong-ryul has been outspoken on the controversy surrounding the first lady.

He was the first member of the PPP to officially call for an apology from the presidential office and first lady over the luxury bag allegations.

In an interview with broadcaster JTBC's YouTube channel last Wednesday, he compared the first lady to Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated queen of France known for her lavish lifestyle who was executed during the French Revolution (1789-99).

Kim said he heard from a history professor that the French Revolution occurred because "emotions exploded after Marie Antoinette's extravagance and messy private life was revealed one by one," noting that the incident involving the first lady "also touched the sensibilities of the people."

First lady Kim has also faced allegations of involvement in manipulating the stock prices of Deutsch Motors, a BMW car dealer in Korea, which she has denied. The DP railroaded a parliamentary bill in late December approving a special probe into the allegations. The PPP boycotted the vote, and the president vetoed the bill earlier this month.

In an interview with Yonhap on Thursday, Kim Gyeong-ryul described the handbag controversy as a "political maneuver," accusing lawmakers in the conservative TK region, referring to Daegu and North Gyeongsang area, of shielding the first lady.

People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Han Dong-hoon, right, cheers with Kim Gyeong-ryul, a member of the PPP's emergency steering committee, at an event in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Addressing the backlash, Kim on Monday backtracked from his "Marie Antoinette" remarks and apologized for offending TK lawmakers.

"Not long ago, I made a senseless remark to Daegu and North Gyeongsang lawmakers," Kim said during an emergency leadership meeting, apologizing to PPP floor leader Yun Jae-ok.

"My harsh words and actions have caused inconvenience in many ways," he said. "I will try to show a more refined side and, as I have done so far, focus on supporting public sentiment and winning the general elections."

When asked by a reporter after the meeting if he apologized for his Marie Antoinette remarks, he replied, "Yes."

Yoon and his aides, including chief of staff Lee, reportedly met at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, on Sunday evening to discuss how to handle the current situation.

Since the ouster of Lee Jun-seok, former chairman of the PPP, in August 2023, Yoon has had steady backing from the conservative party. Before Han, the PPP was led by Kim Gi-hyeon, a member of the pro-Yoon faction, until he stepped down last month to take responsibility after the PPP's embarrassing defeat by the DP in the by-election to head Seoul's Gangseo District Office in October last year.

According to political observers, Yoon's office could still try to find ways to de-escalate the situation to prevent further turmoil, considering that Han is a longtime trusted friend of Yoon.

The PPP remained divided, with some lawmakers calling for Han to take responsibility for the friction and others hoping for some breakthrough between the two sides to prevent further internal turmoil.

PPP Rep. Lee Chul-gyu, a member of the pro-Yoon faction, brushed off speculation on Monday that the relations between the PPP and the presidential office had collapsed ahead of the general elections.

When asked if the president agreed to Han's resignation, Lee told reporters, "No, that's not true."

He stressed that first lady Kim was a "victim" of a hidden camera, referring to the handbag allegations.

The DP chief, in turn, accused the presidential office of "intervening" in the general elections, calling the current situation involving the PPP chief a "shame."

"Has there ever been a case where the president intervened so blatantly and deeply in a general election?" said DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung, regarding the report that Han received a request from Yoon's office to resign.

"There must be a distinction between party affairs, elections and public officials' duties," Lee said, speaking to reporters at the National Assembly Monday afternoon. "Unfortunately, it seems that public officials' involvement in elections and violating their obligation to be politically neutral appears to be quite problematic right now."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]