Cho Kuk: “Han Dong-hoon Doesn’t Even Have the Guts to Leave the Party… Less Decisive Than Lee Jun-seok”

[Choice Times=Sang-Hyun Park, Staff Reporter]

Regarding the People Power Party’s investigation into the so-called “party members’ message board controversy,” Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, defined the move as a “People Power Party operation to eliminate Han Dong-hoon” and offered an intriguing prediction about Han’s political future.

On the 30th, Cho posted on his social media:
“Han Dong-hoon will not receive a People Power Party nomination in any future election,” adding, “Given the current composition of the party membership, he also has no chance of taking control of the party.”

Cho continued:
“Han Dong-hoon does not even have the guts or courage to leave the party and form a new one. Lee Jun-seok, who boldly launched a new party, is far more courageous.”

He further stated:
“What Han Dong-hoon is hoping for is a crushing defeat of the People Power Party in next year’s local elections, leading to the collapse of the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership. Only then would an opportunity open up for him,” adding, “The party establishment knows Han’s intentions all too well—this is why they dislike him even more.”

Cho added, “The far-right People Power Party must become further marginalized and shrink into a minority,” and argued, “In next year’s local elections, the broader democratic and reform-oriented parties must unite to reduce the People Power Party to zero seats and create a new political landscape.”

Below is the full text of Cho Kuk’s Facebook post from the 30th.(Editor’s note)

After the People Power Party’s Audit Committee chairperson was replaced, the committee swiftly launched an audit targeting Han Dong-hoon. The new chair, Lee Ho-sun of Kookmin University, is a hardline conservative legal scholar who opposed the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol and advocated abolishing early voting. Lee is known to strongly dislike people with Han Dong-hoon’s style.

Now, the truth of the message-board incident—left uninvestigated during Han’s tenure as party leader—will be revealed. While internal debate is a natural part of party politics, if the ruling party leader’s own family anonymously posted messages criticizing the president, that would be not only unusual but reckless.

If the allegations are true, Han should simply acknowledge them and explain why. If untrue, he should firmly deny them. Why does he keep dodging?

Han Dong-hoon will not receive a People Power Party nomination in any future election. With the current party membership, he has no possibility of seizing party leadership. Yet he lacks the courage to leave and build a new party. Lee Jun-seok, who boldly created a new party, is far braver.

What Han hopes for is this: a disastrous defeat for the People Power Party in next year’s local elections, collapsing the Jang Dong-hyuk leadership. Only then would his window of opportunity open.

The party establishment knows Han’s intentions very well—thus their deep resentment toward him.

As seen in the image below, they now call Han Dong-hoon“the burden of the people”(“the people’s baggage”).

While the People Power Party has drifted into the far-right and become consumed by infighting, the Democratic Party has successfully captured the “moderate-conservative” space. The migration of former lawmaker Kim Yong-nam—a prosecutor-turned-PPP politician—into the Democratic Party via the Reform Party is proof. This is a positive development.

Though the Cho Kuk Innovation Party is a small, newly created party, it will vigorously occupy the field of “moderate progressivism.” It will pursue the tasks the Democratic Party avoids: guaranteeing social rights such as housing, reinstating land-to-the-public principles, reducing income and wealth inequality, revitalizing coalition politics, and pushing ahead with human rights reforms such as an anti-discrimination law. All these tasks ultimately converge toward the vision of a “Seventh Republic.”

The challenges facing the Cho Kuk Innovation Party are not small. But hardships exist to be overcome. Enduring ridicule, mockery, criticism, and curses while achieving even one step forward—this is the duty of a political professional.

The far-right People Power Party must become increasingly marginalized. In next year’s local elections, the broader democratic-reform camp must unite to reduce the PPP to zero seats and create a new political order. Can this really happen? With unity, it is absolutely achievable.

Yet a small number of Democratic Party supporters and YouTubers are dedicating themselves to attacking Cho Kuk and his new party—repeating the same destructive patterns seen in past general and by-elections. It is unfortunate. In this sense, former lawmaker Park Jie-won is indeed a “9th-dan master of politics”—a true professional. Even when differences exist, one must go broad to win. One must go big to win.

P.S. Han Dong-hoon severed ties with Yoon Suk-yeol only after realizing Yoon intended to politically destroy him. But before that, Han mocked and derided Yoon, calling the martial law plot “something that would never happen” and joking about an “alien contingency plan.” He should not forget this.

At that time, Han Dong-hoon even challenged lawmakers Lee Jae-myung, Kim Min-seok, and Kim Byung-joo to debates. He owes all three of them apologies.

#KoreanPolitics #HanDongHoon #ChoKuk