Tensions Rise Over Special Inspector Appointment Between Top Two Ranks in Ruling Party... Signs of Division Within Ruling Faction

'Wonoe' Han Dong-hoon, Kim Geon-hee Lady's Issue Must Be Resolved
Choo Kyung-ho, Special Inspector Appointment Procedure Is a 'Wonnae' Matter

On the 23rd, Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, and Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader, who are ranked first and second in the party, revealed a clear difference in stance over the promotion of the recommendation and appointment process for a special inspector to investigate misconduct by the president's relatives. Han expressed his intention to proceed, while Choo, calling it a floor issue, distanced himself from Han, leading to observations of a split.

At 11 a.m. that day, Han, presiding over the expanded party officials meeting at the National Assembly for the first time since his inauguration, criticized President Yoon's linking of the special inspector recommendation with the appointment of directors to the North Korean Human Rights Foundation as a precondition, saying, "It is difficult to gain public sympathy," and reiterated his intention to proceed as previously promised.

Han stated, "We strongly demand the Democratic Party's recommendation of directors to the North Korean Human Rights Foundation and will ultimately see it through," adding, "However, we will not postpone the special inspector recommendation process until after that."

Han believes that resolving issues related to the special inspector and First Lady Kim Keon-hee is essential to gaining public support.

He predicted that after the first trial verdict on Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, for violating the Public Official Election Act on the 15th of next month, the Democratic Party's special prosecutor and impeachment offensives and parliamentary dominance will intensify, and said, "What should our stance be then? We must have addressed the public's demands related to the First Lady Kim by that time."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, Floor Leader Choo opposed Han Dong-hoon, an external figure, regarding the special inspector recommendation, calling it a "floor issue." When reporters at the National Assembly asked Choo about Han's push for the special inspector appointment after the expanded party officials meeting, he said, "I also listened carefully at that meeting. As you know, the special inspector requires a recommendation process through the National Assembly and is a floor-related matter," he pointed out.

He continued, "I think it may take considerable time to gather opinions from the lawmakers regarding the special inspector," adding, "Time and procedures are needed to collect diverse opinions from the lawmakers." When asked about the possibility of lawmakers' opinions opposing Han's, he dismissed it by saying, "This is a decision-making process of the National Assembly and a floor issue," and "The highest decision-making body on the floor is the party caucus, and its chairperson is the floor leader."

Within the pro-Han faction, the disagreement between Han, who had a meeting with President Yoon without any results, and Choo, who was invited to a dinner, is suspected to reflect the presidential office's will embedded in Choo's remarks.

On the 21st, Choo urged the opposition party to recommend directors to the North Korean Human Rights Foundation at the People Power Party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning. Subsequently, President Yoon also expressed the position during his meeting with Han that the recommendation of the special inspector and the appointment of directors to the North Korean Human Rights Foundation should be linked, suggesting prior coordination between the presidential office and Choo.

A pro-Han insider expressed dissatisfaction over Choo exposing his joint appearance with Han, saying, "Isn't this following Yongsan's intention?"

Conversely, the pro-Yoon faction holds the view that Choo's remarks are procedurally legitimate. Since the recommendation of the special inspector is an important decision between the ruling and opposition parties, it should not be decided unilaterally by the party leader but should go through a process of gathering opinions from party members at the party caucus. A pro-Yoon lawmaker supported Choo, saying, "This is something that should be promoted by gathering the consensus of lawmakers at the party caucus."

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