Han Donghoon Offers Only a Handshake and Leaves as Lee Junseok Arrives, Foreshadowing Rocky Road for 'Conservative Unity'

Attended the previous day's wake for the father of People Power Party lawmaker Kim Sungwon
Han stayed for an hour, then left when Lee arrived

Lee Junseok of the Reform Party and independent lawmaker Han Donghoon reportedly had a brief encounter at the wake for lawmaker Kim Sungwon of the People Power Party's father, but the atmosphere was awkward.

Reform Party lawmaker Lee Junseok (left) and independent lawmaker Han Donghoon. Yonhap News

According to several opposition officials on November 3, Lee and Han met at the wake on November 2. Han had arrived first and stayed there for more than an hour. When Lee entered, Han briefly shook hands with him and then left. Some lawmakers from the pro-Han Donghoon faction who were with Han also left. Lee reportedly stayed at the wake and spoke with lawmakers from the pro-Han faction, including Song Seokjun and Woo Jaejoon.

Some in political circles have described the awkward encounter as a symbolic scene showing that the two continue to keep each other in check. Lee recently called Han a "vulgar legal technician" and argued that Han should be excluded from the process of unifying conservatives. Pro-Han officials pushed back, prompting interpretations that the two sides are engaged in a war of nerves. Han, however, has refrained from responding to Lee directly.

Meanwhile, former Supreme Council member Kim Jonghyuk, who is aligned with Han, took aim at Lee for composing an acrostic poem at a dinner to celebrate Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon's acquittal. He sarcastically said Lee was "effectively acting as Mayor Oh's spokesperson" and added, "It may be the first time in the history of a political party that a former party leader has taken on this kind of role." The poem read: "Like a tumbler toy, you weathered life's storms; now a warm breeze is blowing."

Meanwhile, with Mayor Oh acquitted in the appeals trial over allegations that someone else paid for opinion polls on his behalf, the possibility of a conservative opposition reshuffle is being discussed. If the unification and realignment of conservatives gather momentum ahead of the 2028 general election, the contest for leadership between Lee and Han is expected to intensify.

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