'Next Presidential Contender' Han Dong-hoon Rises Rapidly... Lee Jun-seok Says "It's Natural" · Park Ji-won "There Is Only One Sun"

Handonghun Ranks 3rd in Next Presidential Candidate Preference Survey After Lee Jae-myung and Oh Se-hoon
Park Ji-won: "There Is Only One Sun... Appoint the Prosecutor General and Follow Personnel Procedures Properly"
Lee Jun-seok: "Recent Moves Deserve Attention... The Democratic Party Has Raised Handonghun's Profile"

In a recent public opinion poll, Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, ranked third in preference as a potential presidential candidate.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, gains prominence as a potential next presidential candidate, political circles are divided in their views. In a recent poll, Minister Han ranked third in preference for the next presidential candidate, following Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon.

Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won commented on Minister Han being mentioned as a next presidential candidate in a recent poll, saying, "There is only one sun, not two." In an interview on June 21 with TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' he said, "Speaking for Minister Han, even then-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl requested to be excluded from polls. I hope this issue gets resolved."

He then criticized Minister Han, saying, "(Minister Han) is effectively holding the position of Prosecutor General concurrently." Former Director Park stated, "Minister Han continues to make prosecutorial appointments without a Prosecutor General. President Yoon Seok-youl was deeply frustrated when he was bypassed in personnel decisions as Prosecutor General. If so, they should appoint a Prosecutor General and proceed properly."

On the other hand, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, agreed regarding Minister Han being mentioned as a next presidential candidate, saying, "Naturally, there have been many notable aspects of Minister Han's recent actions." On the same day on BBS Radio's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal,' Lee said, "The Democratic Party's excessive attacks on Minister Han have, in a way, increased his stature. This momentum is likely to continue for some time because the Democratic Party is openly showing strong hostility towards Minister Han and is really just charging at him."

Regarding Minister Han's recent personnel appointments, Lee commented, "If done according to principles, there should be no major issues." When asked if problems might arise if appointments are made unilaterally, he replied, "Minister Han likely knows well the various opinions within the organization. While personnel decisions can be consulted with many people, there is also a conceptual planning aspect. We need to look at the results."

The poll mentioned was conducted by R&Search on behalf of NewsPim, surveying 1,025 adults nationwide on their preference for the next political leader, and was released on June 15. Minister Han (15.1%) ranked third after Representative Lee (29.3%) and Mayor Oh (23.9%). The survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire with 100% automated wireless responses, with a response rate of 3.1% and a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

Meanwhile, when asked by reporters about this poll on June 16, Minister Han replied, "I haven't looked at it in detail," and said, "I will do my job diligently."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.