[AI Library] Chapter 19: The Declaration Not to Run in the General Election
The Han Dong-hoon Story
Chapter 19: The Declaration Not to Run in the General Election
Kim Kyung-jin
The Han Dong-hoon Story
PART 05 Han Dong-hoon Relinquishing Privilege · Original Text 01
December 21, 2023, People Power Party headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul. Han Dong-hoon sat facing the party's floor leader, who was also serving as acting party chairman.
Days earlier, the party chairman had abruptly resigned, leaving the party without leadership four months before the general election. His name was being mentioned within party circles.
The request was for him to step down as Minister of Justice and take over the party.
"Minister, you must take over the party."
Han Dong-hoon gazed out the window for a moment.
During his tenure as minister, an invisible rift between the ruling party and the presidential office had been deepening.
His candid comments on the Kim Keon-hee matter, harsh words about the medical crisis, and questions raised about the Myung Tae-gyun incident: he had already become an 'inconvenient minister.'
Entering politics would mean walking into the heart of that rift. Five days later, on December 26, an online national committee meeting was held.
Of 824 eligible members, 650 participated, and with 627 in favor and 23 opposed, the motion to appoint Han Dong-hoon as emergency countermeasures chairman passed. It was overwhelming support of 96.46 percent.
That night, however, the words Han Dong-hoon spoke upon taking office astonished people both inside and outside the party.
"I will not run in a regional constituency.
I will not run as a proportional representative either."
By the standards of the political establishment, it was a declaration that was difficult to comprehend.
The post of emergency countermeasures chairman typically leads either to returning as party chairman after a general election victory or to becoming a stepping stone for a presidential bid. A top spot on the proportional representation list or a nomination in a metropolitan constituency where victory was highly likely was considered a natural reward.
Instead, he declared, "I will do whatever it takes for victory, but I will not take the fruits of that victory for myself."
Some interpreted it as a calculated move aimed at a direct path to the presidency.
The reasoning, they said, was that becoming a lawmaker would actually tie his hands. Others shook their heads, calling him a political novice who did not understand the grammar of Yeouido politics. Former Representative Yu Seung-min criticized him, saying, "Not running in a difficult or competitive district is irresponsible." But that day, from the podium, Han Dong-hoon said this:
"Rather than 'before party, after self,' it is 'before people, after self.'
The people come before the People Power Party."
'Before party, after self' is an old maxim among partisan politicians.
It means putting the party first and setting aside personal interests. But Han Dong-hoon inverted even that maxim. The people come before the party, he said.
As a party politician, it was a risky statement.
But he made clear that what he was looking toward was not Yeouido but the people beyond it.
After announcing he would not run, his schedule became grueling.
He woke before dawn and traveled the country. He sought out competitive districts and shook the hands of candidates. "I would be pleased to win, but more important is the party winning." Some candidates were moved to tears by his words.
A politician speaking of his party's victory rather than his own election was not something commonly heard on Yeouido.
Emergency Countermeasures Chairman Han Dong-hoon staged a rare scene in Korean politics.
A person who could have grasped the fruits of power voluntarily declared he would set them aside.
"I will not follow the grammar of Yeouido."
His words were both declaration and challenge. A rejection of how Yeouido operates and an experiment in new political culture.
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Kim Kyung-jin
Attorney · Former Member of the National Assembly · AI Policy Researcher
© 2026 Kim Kyung-jin. All rights reserved.