SEOUL – Han Dong-hoon, the leader of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party (PPP), announced his resignation on December 16, following significant internal backlash over his support for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
“I will step down from my position as the chief of the ruling party,” Mr. Han stated during a press briefing at the National Assembly. “The collapse of the party’s Supreme Council has made it impossible to carry out my duties. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment was painful, but I do not regret my decision.”
The announcement comes just five months after Mr. Han was elected to lead the PPP during its national convention on July 23. Despite earlier expressing his intention to continue as leader, growing pressure from the pro-Yoon faction and the resignation of all five elected members of the Supreme Council left him with little choice.
The controversy stems from Mr. Han’s push for an “orderly resignation” of President Yoon and his call for ruling party lawmakers to support the impeachment motion introduced by the opposition on December 3. The impeachment motion, citing the President’s botched martial law decree, passed in the National Assembly on December 14, causing fractures within the PPP.
A prosecutor-turned-politician, Mr. Han faced mounting criticism from pro-Yoon lawmakers, who argued that he should take responsibility for the President’s impeachment. Despite these challenges, Mr. Han stood by his actions, stating, “I have no regrets in doing so.”
Mr. Han’s resignation marks a critical juncture for the People Power Party as it grapples with internal divisions and the political fallout from President Yoon’s impeachment.