Ruling party chief compares rival camp to North Korea over election rule decision – Beragampengetahuan

Han Dong-hoon, interim chief of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during a media conference at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Han Dong-hoon voices trust in president, calls first lady’s bag scandal ‘spy cam ploy’

By Jung Min-ho

Han Dong-hoon, interim chief of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), compared the main opposition party to North Korea, criticizing its chairman, Lee Jae-myung, for deciding to maintain a problem-ridden election law.

Speaking at a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, Han said it is “such a comedy” that critical election rules were decided by a single person just two months before the April 10 general elections.

His criticism comes a day after Lee, who was granted full authority by the Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) Supreme Council to decide on whether to revise the election law, announced that his party will adhere to the current system.

Introduced in 2019 to reduce the overrepresentation of the two major parties, the law virtually lost its effectiveness after the two parties established partner parties to exploit the rules, originally intended to benefit minor parties.

Amid growing criticism of the law’s flaws and complexity, the PPP had maintained the stance that it needs to be revised before the upcoming elections, while the DPK, which holds a majority in the National Assembly, remained undecided.

“What’s even more comical is that it (Lee’s decision) was unanimously approved… A few months ago, North Korea got a 99 percent approval rate. But here we have 100 percent. Is this North Korea?” Han said, drawing a comparison to North Korea’s local elections held in November 2023.

Recently, his discord with President Yoon Suk Yeol came under the media spotlight over first lady Kim Keon Hee, who apparently received a Dior handbag from a pastor in September 2022.

When questioned about the issue, Han reiterated his previous stance, emphasizing that the handbag incident is “a matter of public concern.” However, he characterized the scandal as “essentially a spy cam ploy.”

The issue emerged in November last year after a YouTube-based liberal news channel reported that the first lady received the luxury handbag from the pastor, who secretly filmed the scene using a camera watch device.

He also expressed trust in the president, saying the reason the two — former senior and junior prosecutors — have maintained a good relationship for a long time was that each respected the other’s way of life and work ethics.

“We work for the people within the constitutional and legal boundaries,” Han said. “There is a misunderstanding. I’m not saying the PPP should win (the elections) for Yoon’s policies. This government is not led by a single person but also by our party, members of the Cabinet and supporters.”

If the PPP wins, Han said he would remain in his role to continue to reform the party. If the party fails to secure the goal it set for the elections, he said he would resign.

Regarding his intention to run for the next presidential election, Han did not give a direct answer.

“I’m not thinking about what I might do after April 10,” Han said, adding that he believes his life would never be the same regardless of the election results.

He also said that his motivation to accept the PPP’s proposal to take its interim chief post stemmed from his belief that the DPK is not serving the interests of the people. He affirmed his conviction that he could provide a better vision for the country.

Han said one of those visions is to reform the Assembly. Citing polls showing strong support for reducing the number of lawmakers and cutting their salaries and other perks, he vowed to make progress in that area.

“This is not populism. If this was, I would gladly be a populist,” he said of the idea that was criticized for being “populist” by other parties. “We are not the first to propose the idea. But we would like to be the first to make it happen.”