Han Dong-hoon, who had been considered a candidate for the leadership of the People Power Party, announced that he would not run in the party convention on the 22nd of next month. He stated that instead of seeking leadership, he would aim to unify reform forces on the ground to rebuild conservatism.
On the 24th, Han noted through Facebook, "I will not run in the party leader election in August," and added, "Instead, I will renew politics with many fellow citizens who are concerned about the country's future and rebuild our party."
He also mentioned, "Over the past month, I have met and talked with many people. They were all concerned about the current state of the party and conservative politics as seen by the public," and added, "Recently, there has been a growing movement to regress to the point of trying to completely extreme the party, beyond simply refusing innovation."
Han also remarked, "The true spirit of conservatism and the true spirit of the People Power Party lie not in extremism and regression, but within the constitution and democracy," and said, "Only by maintaining that spirit and rejecting regression while innovating can we make conservatism proud and dignified again."
He emphasized, "Rather than engage in power struggles that deceive party members, the true owners of the party, and disappoint the people, the true owners of Korea, I aim to pursue a politics where the public and party members are the real leaders." He continued, "What we need right now is not 'Yoon again' but rather 'conservatism again' that restores conservatism to be dignified and proud."
The People Power Party will hold its convention on the 22nd of next month at Osco in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, to elect a new leadership. Currently, Kim Moon-soo, Ahn Cheol-soo, Yang Hyang-ja, Jang Dong-hyuk, Jang Sung-min, Jo Kyung-tae, and Joo Jin-woo have expressed their intention to run for party leader. As the contest for leadership is framed around support for and against the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, Han's decision not to run has reduced the risk of vote fragmentation for the pro-impeachment faction.