The Han Dong-hoon Story

PART 07 Han Dong-hoon the Human · Source Text 09

Politics is a battlefield of words.

People believe that to survive in a place where sharp criticism, mockery, and crude language are exchanged, you must suppress your opponent with a louder voice and more inflammatory speech.

During parliamentary questioning time in the National Assembly, raised voices and personal attacks abound. "A gangster with glasses," "A snake-like bastard." These are the criticisms hurled at Han Dong-hoon.

Yet his language was different.

One day after parliamentary questioning ended. Han Dong-hoon approached an opposition party member who had just been hurling raw criticism at him.

He bowed respectfully and offered a handshake. The other legislator showed clear signs of confusion. It was a completely different response from the heated atmosphere just moments before. After the December 3 emergency martial law was lifted, when Democratic Party members approached him for a handshake in the National Assembly, he also responded courteously. "Even in conflict, we must follow the rules and not lose respect for human beings." This was what he believed was the basic standard of a politician.

He also made this request of his supporters.

"When the other side conducts themselves poorly, we must not also conduct ourselves poorly.

We must maintain our dignity."

Han Dong-hoon's way of speaking uses 'honesty' and 'humility' as weapons.

Faced with rough attacks from opposition party members and illogical arguments in the National Assembly, he responds with logic.

"I will stake everything. What will you stake?" His counterattack regarding the suspicions about drinking gatherings in Cheongdam-dong had the power of a precise stroke. Logic that struck at the exact weak point of the opponent. That was his weapon.

But when the fierce debate ends, he shows a completely different side.

At the end of interviews and speeches, he habitually adds these words.

"Thank you. I'm sorry. I love you."

These three short phrases are not mere conventional greetings.

They are an expression of sincere gratitude toward the people who support him, reflection on his shortcomings, and affection toward fellow citizens. One columnist described these three phrases as 'the foundation of a moral human being.'

He does not hesitate to acknowledge his mistakes. After the April 10 general election defeat, he took full responsibility himself. "All responsibility lies with me." Even in circumstances where it would be easy to blame others or circumstances, he did not make excuses.

The same was true after the December 3 emergency martial law incident. "I sincerely apologize to the Korean people for failing to prevent martial law in advance." He repeatedly lowered his head. "Everything is due to my own shortcomings." It was an attitude that stood in contrast to established politicians who consistently made excuses.

He also has a humorous side. Here is an anecdote from the used musical instruments trading site 'Mule'. He went to a direct transaction to buy a guitar effect pedal, and after his face became known, the other party recognized him. When the other party requested a discount, he answered like this.

"You shouldn't ask someone to negotiate on the price, should you?"

According to reports, he declined with a smile but eventually gave a discount anyway. A person who maintains common sense and fairness not only in public principles but also in private transactions. At the same time, a human charm that is not inflexible. In this anecdote we discover both sides of him.

Han Dong-hoon believes that 'words are not meant to be released but to be kept.' He emphasizes that 'politicians cannot teach the people; they must learn from the people,' and he always makes an effort to communicate with a humble attitude.

His words carry weight.

Strength does not come from flowery rhetoric or a loud voice. It comes from respect for the other person, the will to keep promises, and the human dignity he never loses in any situation. That is what gives weight to his words.

In a 2025 Sisakdosi Journal interview, he said this: "I may ultimately fail. However, if private interests did not influence public decisions, I can take responsibility for the results. Nothing is free. If you have gained something, you must also accept losing something." And he added: "Courage is not the absence of anxiety and fear, but acting despite feeling them."

"Thank you. I'm sorry. I love you."

When these most ordinary three phrases come from Han Dong-hoon's lips, they become not merely a greeting but a passionate declaration to the people. A person who possesses both cool reason and a warm heart. A person who knows how to empathize with others' suffering and to feel anger at injustice. That is the true face of "Han Dong-hoon the human" that we have discovered.

A boy who served as an altar boy at Cheongju Cathedral. A young man absorbed in punk rock at clubs in Hongdae. 'Mule-ssi' who conducts private sales of secondhand guitars while saying 'no bargaining.' A reader who gifts 'Moby Dick' to elementary school students.

All these fragments come together to complete the puzzle that is 'Han Dong-hoon the human.'

He is a person with warmth hidden behind an impressive resume. A person who values principle while not losing his sense of humor. A person who stands at the pinnacle of power yet cherishes his own time by playing guitar.

Perhaps the strength that allowed him to rush without hesitation to the National Assembly on the night of martial law came from this inner resolve.

The spirit of resistance from rock and roll. The capacity for empathy learned from literature. And the value of the common good learned at Cheongju Cathedral.

That is the root of 'Han Dong-hoon the human.'

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