Han Dong-hoon, an independent candidate in the June 3 special election for Busan North District A and a former leader of the People Power Party, has repeatedly vowed to lead an impeachment effort against President Lee Jae-myung if a special prosecutor law that grants the president authority to withdraw criminal charges enables an attempt to drop prosecutions. He called such a move a disruption of the constitutional order on a scale comparable to martial law. At the same time, Han distanced himself from calls to withdraw the offer to make former Grand National Party lawmaker Jeong Hyung-geun his campaign chair, saying Jeong now supports Han’s agenda to rebuild conservative politics despite past differences.
At his campaign launch press conference on the 9th, Han said, “The president of the Republic of Korea is trying to eliminate the prosecutors who investigated him and is attempting to withdraw prosecutions to avoid going to prison. If the president actually withdraws prosecutions, it will be a constitutional-order crisis, and the president should be impeached.” He added, “We are people of common sense who, however painful, stopped an elected president who broke the law. If President Lee withdraws prosecutions, we are entitled to impeach and remove him.”
When asked whether he would join the People Power Party’s campaign opposing a special prosecutor empowered to cancel prosecutions, Han replied, “A faction of the party leadership is focused on defeating me rather than the Democrats. That regression has weakened proper oversight and allowed the president to run unchecked. I am confident this victory will help rein in both the Lee administration and the regressive faction led by Jang Dong-hyuk.”
At his campaign office opening on the 10th, Han said, “Rebuilding conservatism is not for conservative politics alone—it’s for the country. Our nation was great when it flew on two wings. With the right wing broken, the left wing is swinging wildly. Attempts to withdraw prosecutions amount to a martial-law-level disruption of state affairs. If the president tries to withdraw prosecutions in his own case, we must impeach him. I will lead the effort to remove him.”
On the controversy over recruiting Jeong as campaign chair — an issue drawing intense criticism toward Han — the candidate took a defensive tone. Asked whether he would appoint someone else, Han said, “Jeong Hyung-geun has a good reputation here and has done effective local politics. I want to learn local politics from him. Even if he held different views in the past, he accepted the role because he now supports my plan to rebuild conservatism.”
Han added, “I’m prepared to work with anyone committed to moving forward. My supporters come from a broad and diverse range. Gathering diverse people does not change my goals or the compass I follow. I believe the path will form as more people walk with me.” Critics note that Jeong has never acknowledged or reflected on past misconduct, faced accusations but largely avoided legal punishment, and until a few years ago raised allegations of election fraud. Observers question how Jeong’s record can coexist with Han’s stated aims to rebuild conservatism and pursue a future-oriented politics.
When asked about stagnant approval ratings, Han replied, “I look to public sentiment, not numbers.”
