PPP chief Han Dong-hoon says he rejected presidential office's request for resignation

Han Dong-hoon, interim leader of the People Power Party, speaks to reporters at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

Han Dong-hoon, interim leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), said Monday he rejected a reported request for his resignation by the presidential office.

This comes amid reports Sunday of tensions between Han and the presidential office over the former justice minister's handling of allegations of first lady Kim Keon Hee accepting a luxury bag and election nominations.

Presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup reportedly met with Han on Sunday and delivered a request from President Yoon Suk Yeol for him to step down as chief of the PPP's emergency steering committee.

"I understand that my term will continue until after the general election," Han told reporters at the National Assembly Monday morning, essentially confirming the reports and reiterating his intention to continue serving as the PPP's interim chairman through the April 10 parliamentary elections. "I will not make an evaluation. It is difficult to talk about specific details about the process because I rejected the request for resignation."

Han, a former prosecutor and a close confidant of the president, said Sunday he will "do his job" following initial reports that the presidential office had asked him to resign as PPP's interim leader after being reportedly displeased with the way he has been handling the allegations against the first lady.

The PPP had been divided over allegations Kim received a Christian Dior handbag valued at around 3 million won ($2,240) as a gift from a Korean American pastor in September 2022, first reported on Nov. 29 by a liberal YouTube news channel. The exchange was filmed secretly by the pastor using a hidden camera and the bag was reportedly provided by the YouTube channel, which released the footage.

Some PPP members have called for an apology from Kim.

Han last week addressed the luxury bag allegations against the first lady in public and told reporters, "There is something for the public to worry about."

He said it is "a matter to think about from the public's perspective," though he noted that the incident occurred with a "spy cam set-up."

Han has supported a bid by Kim Gyeong-ryul, a member of the PPP's emergency steering committee, to run in a district in Mapo District, western Seoul, against a sitting Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker for the general elections, raising questions of fairness in the election nomination process. Some PPP members accused Han of making a "private nomination" and ignoring the proper procedures.

Kim Gyeong-ryul is a PPP member who has been outspoken on the controversy surrounding the first lady.

Yoon didn't attend a fifth public livelihood debate scheduled for Monday morning. The presidential office abruptly announced earlier in the morning that the president didn't have any schedule for the day, prompting speculation whether this is related to the controversy with Han.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]