Upon being elected as the party leader on the 23rd of last month with the support of 63% of party members and citizens, Han Dong-hoon, the newly appointed leader of the party, chose to visit the site of a fire accident at a motel in Bucheon. His goal is to make people’s livelihood the main focus of politics rather than engaging in political disputes between parties. The pressure on the Democratic Party to abolish the financial investment income tax (FIT) linked to people’s livelihood is high, as they hold different views on this issue.
Han Dong-hoon expressed his determination to focus on policies that prioritize people’s livelihood, bridging the gap, and resolving issues. He emphasized the importance of fair distribution in addressing the wealth gap in today’s South Korea. Furthermore, he is contemplating selective support as a counterargument to the Democratic Party’s cash distribution through the nationwide 250,000 won law. This approach of prioritizing people’s livelihood in the party’s policies has garnered high praise from both within and outside the party.
In order to overcome the demographic cliff, Han Dong-hoon stressed the importance of improving related systems, such as expanding childcare leave and reducing working hours for parents of children under the age of 12 or up to the 6th grade of elementary school. His leadership is now under scrutiny, especially regarding his negotiations with the government on detailed tax benefits related to the semiconductor special law.
The key challenge lies in whether Han Dong-hoon’s leadership can overcome major national issues that the government has struggled with, such as pension reform and the abolition of the FIT, breaking through the dominance of the larger opposition party.
Han Dong-hoon has completed the remaining party appointments by confirming the appointment of former lawmaker Yoo Eui-dong as a researcher for the party’s policy research institute in Yeouido. Assessments have been made that Han Dong-hoon has formed a leadership team consisting of close associates (friends of Han). However, internal conflicts that emerged during the party’s election process between the candidates are still evident after Han Dong-hoon took office as the leader. Efforts to reconcile these conflicts are still ongoing.
Despite these challenges, party officials believe that it is too early to evaluate Han Dong-hoon’s performance as party leader, as only a month has passed since his appointment. They believe that there is still time for the party to achieve the desired results, including party unification, within the next two to three months.