Han Dong-hoon Mapo-eu Nomination Rumor?..."Do Not Let My Joy Be Known to the Enemy," Retorted Jeong Cheong-rae

Strong Opposition-Leaning Mapo-eul, Jeong Cheong-rae's 3rd Term District
"Regaining the Area or National Partner... Depends on Yongsan Consideration"

With rumors circulating that Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Justice, is considering running for the Seoul Mapo-eul district, Jeong Cheong-rae, a Democratic Party lawmaker representing Mapo-eul, analyzed it as an internal power struggle within the ruling party and expressed confidence in defending his constituency. Jeong served three terms (17th, 19th, and 21st National Assembly) representing Mapo-eul.

The speculation about Han Dong-hoon's candidacy in Mapo-eul originated from an anonymous ruling party lawmaker's media interview. It was suggested that Minister Han is a strategic candidate fielded to defeat Jeong, who is known as a key attacker from the Democratic Party.

Mapo-eul, considered a tough district for conservative parties, has been Jeong's constituency for three terms. Jeong was first elected in the 17th general election in 2004 and subsequently won seats in the 19th and 21st National Assemblies representing Mapo-eul.

Except for the 18th general election held two months after the regime change, where the Grand National Party secured a majority with 153 seats, and the 20th general election where Jeong was eliminated in the incumbent cut-off, he was consecutively elected three times in Mapo-eul. In the 20th general election, Son Hye-won, a former Democratic Party lawmaker whom Jeong actively supported, was elected.

Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon is answering questions from the press at the National Assembly on the 21st of last month. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Accordingly, Jeong expressed confidence in defending his constituency despite the rumors of Minister Han's candidacy. On the 4th, during an appearance on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' he said, "During the last People Power Party leadership election, Ahn Cheol-soo mentioned 'a hitman candidacy in Mapo-eul,' so I said, 'Come on, Ahn Cheol-soo,' but he didn't come. This time, with the talk about Minister Han, I was worried he might not come, so I kept quiet."

Jeong added, "If I welcomed or thanked him for (Han's candidacy), he might have changed his mind and not come, so I maintained strategic ambiguity. Then conservative panelists said things like 'Did Jeong Cheong-rae fall asleep?' I laughed inside. It's like Admiral Yi Sun-sin's strategy: don't let the enemy know your joy."

He further analyzed that the background of the rumor about Minister Han's nomination in Mapo-eul is an underground power struggle within the ruling party. Jeong said, "From my analysis, it's like 'Don't come to my constituency.' Minister Han might rely on the president's power and parachute into my district. So it's an underground struggle saying, 'Don't come to my area, go to Jeong Cheong-rae's district.'"

Minister Han has repeatedly drawn a line, stating he has no intention to run in the general election. However, the ruling party continues to discuss the role of Han Dong-hoon.

When rumors arose about Han Dong-hoon running in Seoul Gwangjin-eul, Go Min-jung, the Democratic Party lawmaker for that district, responded on CBS Radio on the 3rd, saying, "As the general election approaches, it seems everyone is only interested in their own constituencies," and added, "Whoever comes, I just want to say I am confident."

People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said Han's candidacy would depend on decisions by Han himself and Yongsan. On the same day on CBS Radio, Ahn said, "Minister Han and the president must have their own thoughts. That is the most important. Whether it is more important to reclaim a crucial district in this general election or to be the most important partner in governing the country depends on that."

If Minister Han, who has high recognition, runs, he could create momentum in the Seoul metropolitan area where the People Power Party holds fewer seats. However, since his role as Minister of Justice supporting the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's governance is also important, it is expected that deliberations over his candidacy will continue.

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