"Persuading the President" vs "Illegal Intervention"... Ha Jungwoo and Han Donghoon Clash on Social Media

Jung-woo Ha, former Chief of AI Future Planning at the Blue House, who submitted his resignation and announced his intention to run in the Busan Buk-gu Gap National Assembly by-election scheduled for June 5, engaged in a heated exchange with Dong-hoon Han, former leader of the People Power Party. Previously, Han had criticized Ha, suggesting that if Ha was running at the instruction of President Lee Jae-myung, it would constitute illegal election interference.

On April 28, Ha wrote on his personal Facebook, "I persuaded the President, and he readily agreed with my opinion and accepted it without hesitation," adding, "He told me to work for the national interest wherever I am. It was not the President's order, but my persuasion, so this cannot be seen as election interference. There is no need to be swayed by such unreasonable arguments."

Jungwoo Ha, Former Senior Secretary for AI Future Planning at the Blue House. Photo by Yonhap News

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On the same day, President Lee approved Ha's resignation. At a press conference held at the Blue House Chunchugwan, Ha stated, "President Lee sent me off with a smile and in a cool manner," and emphasized, "Wherever and whatever I do, I will be working on what is most important at that moment to establish South Korea as one of the top three AI powerhouses."

In response, former leader Han posted on social media, "Did President Lee actually instruct Ha to run in the election? If true, it would amount to illegal election interference by the President," and criticized, "Ha said, 'If the President instructs me to run in Busan Buk-gu Gap, I will; otherwise, I will stay at the Blue House.' Considering that he is actually running, doesn't this show that the President's intentions were reflected?"

Appearing on BBS Radio that morning, Han further argued, "AI is such a crucial field that every day counts as a golden time, but under the current administration it is being used as a launching pad for election candidates."

The People Power Party also strongly criticized Ha's decision to resign. Choi Boyoon, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, released a statement, saying, "A key Blue House official who once claimed to be the heart of South Korea's AI competitiveness has abandoned major state affairs and jumped into the election scene just 10 months after being appointed," and added, "Forcing this transfer, even leaving the national AI strategy control tower vacant, is nothing more than 'a political engineering collusion.'"

With Ha joining the race, there is a high likelihood that the Busan Buk-gu Gap by-election will turn into a three-way contest between Ha representing the Democratic Party, a People Power Party candidate, and Han running as an independent.

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