Han Dong-hoon's return to PPP needed but must follow party rules, says floor leader candidate Kim Do-eup

By Jung Seok-jun, The Herald Business

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Do-eup, a candidate for the party's next floor leader, said Monday that independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon's return to the PPP is necessary "on the premise of the greater cause of winning power."

Speaking on CBS Radio's "Park Seong-tae's News Show," Kim said the party must grow stronger to reclaim the presidency against the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration — pointing to the 2028 general election and the 2030 presidential election as the key battlegrounds.

He added that Han is currently expelled from the party and that his reinstatement would require approval from the Supreme Council under party rules. "I hope the reinstatement proceeds naturally, in accordance with party rules and proper procedure," Kim said.

However, Kim said time is needed. "The reinstatement must happen in the spirit of unity. We need to wait for conditions within the party to mature," he said.

On the ballot shortage crisis, Kim called it "a violation of citizens' right to political participation by state power — something that cannot happen in a liberal democracy," and said angry citizens are now exercising their right to resist.

He said the president and the ruling party must act swiftly with extraordinary measures. "First among those measures, a high-powered special prosecutor recommended by the opposition must be launched quickly to get to the bottom of what happened," he said.

On the possibility of a by-election, Kim said the matter falls within the legal domain and that legal and academic precedent holds that specific statutory conditions must be met. "Whether those conditions are satisfied must be determined judicially, after the facts and causes have been thoroughly established," he said.

Explaining his decision to run for floor leader, Kim said he felt a sense of responsibility "to help change the party's atmosphere and direction as a foundation for rebuilding the People Power Party and the conservative movement, so that the next floor leader and party chairman can successfully navigate the general election."

Assessing the local election results, Kim said the public's message was clear: the party needed to break free from the shadow of the emergency martial law and insurrection and reinvent itself. "We failed to do that, and the result was a stern warning from the people for not heeding their call," he said.