[Column] Who Might Be Han Donghoon's Role Model?

Justice Minister Han Donghoon currently ranks as the leading presidential candidate within the conservative bloc. There is even speculation that he may be recruited for the upcoming general elections. On the first anniversary of his appointment as minister, the steps of the Ministry of Justice building were filled with flower baskets from supporters. However, critical news reports about him are now also appearing with increasing frequency.

This article examines the factors behind Minister Han's popularity as well as the obstacles he faces. According to a “BigKinds related-word analysis,” the most significant keywords in 5,228 articles about Han Donghoon published by 54 major outlets over the past three months were, in order: “Prosecution Reform Bill,” “Democratic Party,” “Constitutional Court,” “Democratic Party of Korea,” “Ministry of Justice,” “Enforcement Decree,” “Kim Namguk, Democratic Party lawmaker,” and “Kim Eui-kyeom, lawmaker” (ranks 1-8). The ongoing confrontation between Minister Han and the opposition has increased media coverage, raising both his recognition and favorability ratings.

When attacked by the Democratic Party, Minister Han has countered with what is known as a “dialectical rebuttal.” For example, in response to claims of “political prosecutors oppressing the opposition,” he replied, “These are ordinary cases of local corruption,” and “The number of criminal charges is not the prosecution’s fault.” When lawmaker Kim Namguk attributed his cryptocurrency scandal to “Han Donghoon’s prosecution,” Minister Han retorted, “Is getting caught by the financial authorities for coin trading my doing?” Han Donghoon has broken the stereotype of ministers who merely read prepared statements, and has provided a sense of clarity to those critical of the Democratic Party.

Like a batter who meets a fastball with a clean hit, he has used the energy of the opposition’s attacks to launch counterattacks. In this way, he has repeatedly put the opposition on the defensive, generating a “rebound effect” among conservative observers. In politics, power is the sum of “authority from one’s position” and “power gained by persuading public opinion through words.” Han Donghoon has leveraged the latter to expand the political power of the Justice Minister’s office.

It is rare to find a cabinet-level official who, like Minister Han, frequently debates the opposition, develops his own vocabulary and logic, and yet avoids verbal missteps. His rhetoric embodies the rule-of-law and freedom ideology associated with President Yoon Suk-yeol. The emergence of this non-activist ideological stance is a rarity. The conservative bloc perceives Han Donghoon as a valuable asset. Another notable achievement is his reversal of the Democratic Party’s “Prosecution Reform Bill” (which stripped the prosecution of investigative powers) through an “Enforcement Decree restoring prosecutorial investigations.” Without this reversal, investigations into the Daejang-dong, Baekhyeon-dong, and cash envelope scandals would have been difficult, and the government would have been dragged along by the opposition. One media outlet criticized Han Donghoon as a “spin doctor” skilled at manipulating issues, but so far, there have been few instances of such manipulation. Another outlet called on Han Donghoon to abandon his combative approach and present values and vision. However, if he were to focus on values rather than confrontation, public interest would likely diminish sharply.

The obstacles facing Minister Han are of a different nature. As long as he remains an icon of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, even minor ethical lapses become major issues. Lawmaker Kim Eui-kyeom accused Han Donghoon of using the Ministry of Justice’s text notification system for personal purposes. Although this turned out to be fake news, it signals that ethical issues will be a target. Scrutiny over the appropriateness of his words and actions will continue as long as he does not abandon political ambitions. A second obstacle is the “entry cost” of entering politics. As the leading conservative candidate, he is likely envisioning a presidential run. However, upon entering politics, he will face misjudgments and internal resistance at each stage-general elections, party leadership, and the presidency. Attacks from within one’s own camp are often the most painful. The image he has built up is inevitably subject to contamination. The sentiment of “Another prosecutor-turned-president?” is also a hurdle he will need to overcome.

Who might Minister Han consider his role model at this moment? He may well be thinking of Barack Obama, the lawyer who became President of the United States in his forties thanks to his eloquence.

Professor Heo Manseop, Gangneung-Wonju National University

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