Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon pushed back against Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, accusing him of flattering and saying the Democratic Party would not refrain from fielding a candidate on his behalf.
Earlier, Han said the KOSPI reaching 5,000 or 6,000 points was driven by the return of the semiconductor cycle rather than by the policies of the Lee Jae-myung administration. He added that if former President Yoon Suk Yeol had not imposed martial law and had remained active in politics, the index might also have hit 5,000–6,000, calling that outcome "very regrettable."
He questioned whether market gains have actually improved people’s lives, arguing that policy and economic success are not judged by brokerage analysts but by small vendors in traditional markets.
Cho rebutted Han’s comments on the market. On the 10th, he shared a column on his social media titled, "Even if Yoon Suk Yeol had stayed, could the stock price really have hit 6,000?" and wrote that "Yoon Suk Yeol should have read the Chosun Ilbo, and Han Dong-hoon should read the Dong-A Ilbo."
The column argued that even strong earnings from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have limited power to lift stock prices unless supported by favorable macroeconomic indicators, the ruling party’s governance capacity, and political stability.
That same day, Han posted on his social media, taunting Cho: flattering like that won’t get the Lee Jae-myung–led Democratic Party to leave Gunsan uncontested for you.
Cho said he has not decided whether to run in a parliamentary by-election but expects to choose a constituency in early April. He said he will finalize his political plans after parties complete candidate selections for the June local elections and the parliamentary by-elections.
Reports have linked Cho to possible runs in Busan’s Buk-gu Gap district and the Gunsan–Gimje–Buan (Gap) constituency, where a parliamentary by-election could coincide with the June local vote.
Some pro–Han Dong-hoon figures within the People Power Party have even floated the possibility of Cho and Han facing off in Busan’s Buk-gu Gap.
People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Seong-guk told BBS’s "Geum Tae-seop’s Morning Journal" that if Cho runs in Busan’s Buk-gu Gap, any candidate who runs must be prepared to beat him. "To defeat someone of Cho’s stature, you’d need a candidate like former leader Han Dong-hoon," he said, adding that such a scenario could generate public sentiment that the People Power Party might be better off not fielding a candidate.
