Ha Tae-kyung: "If Han Dong-hoon runs, Jongno will be tough, so why not me?"

Ha Tae-kyung, People Power Party Lawmaker, MBC Radio Interview

Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party who declared his candidacy for the Jongno district in Seoul in next year's general election, reiterated that Jongno is a tough district, saying, "I lost by a 20 percentage point margin in Jongno four years ago."

On the 28th, Ha appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and said, "Since there is an incumbent lawmaker in Jongno, some within the party say it is not a tough district," adding, "But strangely, recently there were rumors about Won Hee-ryong and Han Dong-hoon running, and at that time, no one in the party disagreed that Jongno was a tough district."

He continued, "So when there were rumors about Won Hee-ryong and Han Dong-hoon running, Jongno was considered a tough district, but if Ha Tae-kyung runs, it suddenly isn't? This is a strange logic," he argued.

Regarding the possibility of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon running in Jongno, he said, "After some inquiries, it seems unlikely that Minister Han will run in Jongno. However, if he does come out at the last moment, then fair play must be observed," adding, "It would be a competition in good faith with anyone."

In response to reports stating that he did not consult with the party leadership before declaring his candidacy, contrary to his explanation, he said, "I consulted with some members of the leadership, but there are also some I did not consult," adding, "It is difficult to consult with everyone in advance, so even after I declared my candidacy, I spoke with some leaders I had not consulted and fully explained the background, so I believe all misunderstandings have now been resolved."

He added, "But I think that still exists. The current leadership's Supreme Council has continuously opposed the Innovation Committee, so I have kept criticizing the current leadership," and said, "I kept telling them not to resist innovation, so perhaps there is some dissatisfaction towards me because I have been critical."

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