Yongho Lee: "Handonghun Emergency Committee? Opposition's Election Frame... No Political Experience"

With the resignation of Representative Kim Ki-hyun leading to the decision to transition to an Emergency Response Committee (hereinafter referred to as ERC) system within the People Power Party, speculation about Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, one of the ruling party's leading presidential candidates, becoming the ERC chairman is gaining traction. However, People Power Party lawmaker Lee Yong-ho expressed opposition, saying it "could fall into the opposition party's election frame."

On the 18th, Lee said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "I think Minister Han is a great asset to our party, but at this point, whether it is appropriate to appoint him as the ERC chairman and how the public will perceive it are concerns," expressing his worries.

Interview_Lawmaker Lee Yong-ho of the People Power Party. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The concern is that a 'Han Dong-hoon ERC' could be caught in the opposition's 'Prosecutor Republic' frame. He said, "There is already a lot of public criticism toward those from the prosecution background. In such a situation, bringing in a former prosecutor as the ERC chairman is not good for the election frame."

He also pointed out that Minister Han's lack of political experience is a problem. He said, "The biggest issue is that the ERC chairman is essentially the acting party leader appointed in an emergency situation, so the question is whether he has political experience. Moreover, if this were a normal time, he could learn as he goes, but with less than four months left until the election, can someone who has never run an election lead one? This is a significant concern."

When asked by the host whether the speculation about the 'Han Dong-hoon ERC' reflects the intentions of the Yongsan Presidential Office, he replied, "I don't think so," adding, "From what I hear, Yongsan cannot and should not interfere with the party's ERC chairman, so there is absolutely no visible involvement."

He continued, "Separately, I have heard some things myself, but I think the various rumors (about Yongsan's backing) are somewhat far from the truth," and said, "(Yongsan) has no special opinion. As far as I know, they are just observing the overall situation."

Regarding a new candidate for the ERC chairman, he said, "I think it would be good to have someone who has been through the political battlefield and has ample experience in election campaigns. Next year's election will ultimately be a metropolitan area election, and the metropolitan area is where the battle will be decided. The metropolitan area has many moderate voters and is mostly a battleground. It would be ideal to have someone who can lead such an election."

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