[AI Library] Prologue: A Man Who Chose Our Country, Not His Own Side
The Han Dong-hoon Story
Prologue: A Man Who Chose Our Country, Not His Own Side
Kim Kyung-jin
The Han Dong-hoon Story
January 29, 2026, I was sitting in front of the television.
Breaking news came across the screen: the party had voted to strip former party chairman Han Dong-hoon of his membership. Reporters on screen moved about busily, and political commentators delivered commentary in heated voices. I set down the remote. A hollow ache settled in my chest.
That night, I decided I must write this book.
I am a lawyer. I have spent over thirteen years as a prosecutor and more than fifteen years as an attorney in the legal profession. I served four years in the National Assembly, and now I research law and policy in the age of artificial intelligence. I belong to the same political party. I serve as party committee chairman for a specific region. So why have I written this book contrary to my party leadership's decision?
Because of the man named Han Dong-hoon.
December 3, 2024, 10:30 p.m. When the president declared martial law, the ruling party chairman was first to cry out: "Unconstitutional." It was a choice against the president he had worked alongside for nearly twenty years, the man who had led him into the world of politics. He did not hesitate. He rushed to the National Assembly. He took fellow members' hands and entered the plenary chamber. One hundred ninety votes, unanimous among those present. The martial law was revoked.
And he lost everything.
Has such a thing ever happened in South Korea's constitutional history? A ruling party chairman who risked his political life to protect the constitution, only to be expelled from his own party for that very reason?
I am someone who studied law. I know Article 1 of the Constitution: "The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic." That night, Han Dong-hoon defended this clause with his entire being. When soldiers surrounded the National Assembly, when arrest threats hung in the air, he did not step back. He chose country over faction. And that man was branded a "traitor" and expelled from his party.
I want to ask: what on earth was this betrayal of?
This book does not paint Han Dong-hoon as a hero. He is not a perfect man. He made mistakes and had shortcomings. I partly agree with criticisms that he showed limits in communication during his time as party chairman, and observations that he lacked political flexibility.
Yet one thing is clear. At the crucial moment, he made the right choice. He made a choice that worked against himself. A choice that appeared foolish for a politician but was the proper one for a citizen.
How many such people are there in our society?
I was born in 1966. I am of the generation that witnessed the birth of the 1987 system. I spent my youth in the fervor of democratization and walked alongside democracy's maturation. Yet that December night in 2024, I realized how fragile the democracy we took for granted truly was.
What would have happened without Han Dong-hoon?
If the ruling party chairman had supported martial law, or remained silent, would the National Assembly have revoked it so swiftly? Would constitutional order have been restored without bloodshed? I believe South Korea stood on the edge of civil war that night. Han Dong-hoon seized the country back from that precipice.
Writing this book, I read countless materials. Newspaper articles, full interview transcripts, National Assembly records, court judgments. I traced the path Han Dong-hoon walked as a prosecutor. The names he investigated were those at the pinnacle of South Korea's business world. He showed no partiality by faction. He was strict with the powerful and upheld principle.
"Strong to the strong, warm to the weak." This was his philosophy.
That philosophy shone in the Lone Star case. As a young prosecutor in 2006, he investigated Lone Star's foreign exchange card stock price manipulation and secured a guilty verdict. Twenty years later, as Justice Minister, he led the reversal of a six trillion won international arbitration award. Everyone said it was impossible. A 1.6 percent chance of winning. Yet he pushed ahead. And he won.
Now this man has been expelled from the party and wanders alone in the wilderness.
I wanted to tell the story of one man.
A man who did not step back before injustice. A man who chose the public good over self-interest. A man who did what he believed right without clinging to results. And a man who lost everything in return.
The story of Han Dong-hoon is the story of us all. It is a story that shows how difficult it is to live by principle, yet why it still matters. Some will ask: why now, at his darkest hour, publish this book? I answer: precisely because it is now.
It is easy to praise Han Dong-hoon when he was advancing. To speak of him now, when everyone condemns him and he faces crisis, is the truly meaningful work. South Korea in 2026 remains in turmoil. The wounds of martial law remain unhealed, and politics rush toward extremes. What do we need in such times? I believe the answer is the spirit of "strong to the strong, warm to the weak." Politics firm with the powerful and warm with the vulnerable. The courage to choose country over faction. The resolve to do right even when the outcome is uncertain. Han Dong-hoon showed the possibility of such politics. Though he now stands expelled from his party, the possibility he showed does not disappear.
I hope this book offers a small help in remembering that possibility.
Finally, I make this request of you, readers.
As you read this book, set aside the name Han Dong-hoon for a moment. Let go of political prejudice. Follow one man's life and experience with him the moments of choice he faced.
And ask yourself: what would I have done? If I had been there that night of December 3, 2024, what choice would I have made?
The answer to that question will be the true meaning of reading this book.
Kim Kyung-jin, February 2026
Note: This book is written by author Kim Kyung-jin based on Han Dong-hoon's media interviews, campaign promises, and other materials, analyzed and written from Kim Kyung-jin's perspective.
This was not done in consultation with Han Dong-hoon, nor did he review, edit, or provide oral testimony. I wish to clarify in advance that the book's account reflects Kim Kyung-jin's thoughts and may differ from Han Dong-hoon's own position. Thank you for your understanding.
If this book has stayed with you, even for a moment, please support the publication of the next story.
(Voluntary donation account: Nonghyup 302-1096-0948-81, Account holder: Kim Kyung-jin)
Kim Kyung-jin
Attorney · Former Member of the National Assembly · AI Policy Researcher
© 2026 Kim Kyung-jin. All rights reserved.