“Have You Considered Teaming Up With Oh Se-hoon?” Han Dong-hoon: “We’ve Never Stopped Working Together”

[Financial News] Han Dong-hoon, an independent lawmaker, left open the possibility of political cooperation with Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. He described Mayor Oh as “a very reasonable person” and said he was “someone we should join forces with and move forward together to secure victory for the conservative camp.”
Appearing on KBS’s Sunday Diagnosis Live on the 25th, Han replied as follows when asked how he assessed Mayor Oh as a politician.
Asked about the view that the two should work together to broaden the conservative camp’s support base, he said, “We’ve never stopped working together.”
He also commented on Mayor Oh’s acquittal in the appeals court. Han said, “From the first trial, I said that the ruling was problematic and had to be corrected on appeal. It was corrected along the lines of the reasoning I put forward,” adding, “I think that’s a real relief.”
On the so-called “traitor frame” raised by some conservatives, he maintained that he had done what he needed to do. Han said, “I’ve never betrayed the people. Isn’t that mainly what they say because I stopped martial law? But martial law had to be stopped, and I think I did what I had to do.”
He said he would also communicate with conservatives who criticize him, adding, “I’ll make sure to explain things fully to those who feel that way, too.”
He countered that the Democratic Party of Korea was making a political attack by taking issue with the allegations of his daughter’s false credentials. Han criticized it as “political retaliation and a third or fourth rehash.”
Han also questioned the timing of the Democratic Party of Korea raising the allegations again. He said, “Isn’t the timing strange, to begin with? Am I appearing at a confirmation hearing? Am I running in an election? Or has something particularly new come to light?” He claimed, “When I point out the Democratic Party’s painful issues, such as former Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won’s ‘older brother poison lobbying,’ the delayed investigation into North Korea’s landmine attack in the DMZ, and signs of strain in the South Korea–U.S. alliance, they attack me—the messenger—as part of that effort.”
He took particular issue with the fact that the Democratic Party’s offensive coincided with his overseas National Assembly audit schedule, saying, “It was cowardly of them to launch false attacks against my children while I was abroad for an audit.”


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter