Jang Donghyuk Says "No Alliance With Han Donghoon"... Han Donghoon Hits Back With "Blind Hatred"

Blame Game Over Conservative Split
Jang: "Han at the Center of Conservative Collapse"
Han: "You Promised to Stand by Me"

Han Donghoon, an independent lawmaker, and Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, clashed head-on by blaming each other for the crisis and division within the conservative camp. When Jang dismissed the possibility of forming an alliance with Han, Han struck back publicly, saying, "It's hard to understand such blind hatred."

On September 2, Han criticized Jang's interview with The Munhwa Ilbo in a post on social media, stating, "Seeing him seriously distort facts out of personal hostility and hatred, leading to infighting, division, and confusion within the conservatives, I can see why some call him the 'strategic asset of the Democratic Party.'"

Jang Donghyuk, the leader of the People Power Party (left in the photo), and Han Donghoon, an independent lawmaker, are seen shaking hands and parting ways after meeting at an event hosted by The Munhwa Ilbo. Photo by Munhwa Ilbo and Yonhap News Agency

He went on to say, "When Jang served with me as secretary-general and supreme council member, there was never an instance where he raised objections or clashed with my views. Even on the so-called 'party member bulletin board' issue, he fought in my stead, calling it an attack targeting our identity."

Han continued, "Right before he stepped down as party leader due to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, Jang told me, 'I will protect you until the end.' No matter how much one's position may change for personal political interests, it's difficult for me to understand the kind of blind hatred he showed in today's interview."

Regarding Jang's emphasis on fighting the ruling party and his announcement of organizational restructuring, Han commented, "Conservative supporters don't just want to see a fight—they want us to win. With Jang Donghyuk's approach, there is no way to win." He added, "As I have done so far, I will unite to stop the runaway behavior of the Democratic Party government and to claim victory."

Earlier, in the interview with The Munhwa Ilbo released today, Jang made it clear that he was against uniting with Han, saying, "As long as I'm the party leader, I don't think that's possible." Jang went on to say that Han was at the center of every major event—referring to the impeachment of former President Park Geun Hye, the investigation into former President Lee Myung Bak, the impeachment of former President Yoon, the general election defeats and conflicts between the party and government under the previous administration.

Jang stated that during the remainder of his term, he wants to "build a party that can put up a good fight" and expressed his intention to establish a system for evaluating efforts against the opposing party. He said, "I will fill the party with people who can fight in line with our party’s character."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.