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Former PPP chief Han apologizes for posts, but still rejects party's move to expel him

Published: 18 Jan. 2026, 18:32 Updated: 18 Jan. 2026, 19:27

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon speaks in a 2:05 video posted on Facebook on Jan. 18 regarding the party’s move to expel him. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), apologized Sunday for causing concern over the controversy surrounding alleged involvement by his family in posts on the party’s members-only bulletin board that disparaged former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, after the party moved to expel him over the case.

In a 2-minute, 5-second video posted on Facebook, Han said he was “deeply sorry, as a responsible politician who once led the party, that things have come to this and that I have caused concern to the public and party members.”

It was the first time Han had apologized in connection with allegations surrounding posts on a party members-only bulletin board. The controversy dates back to allegations that Han’s family was involved in posts uploaded to the PPP bulletin board in November 2024 that disparaged Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee.

Han, however, drew a line on the disciplinary decision by the party’s ethics committee — chaired by Yoon Min-woo, a professor at Gachon University — calling it “a clear fabrication and political retaliation.”

Han has argued that most of the bulletin-board posts attributed to his family amounted to nothing more than reposts of newspaper editorials and columns. Most of the abusive posts cited by the committee were written by “another Han Dong-hoon with the same name,” and the whole case was fabricated by his political opponents, according to Han.

“You may be able to strip me of my party membership through political retaliation using the party leadership, but you cannot strip the party of its spirit and its future,” Han said, taking aim at party leader Jang Dong-hyeok.

Han added that he was worried many would “turn their hearts away from the party” after watching what he called an act of political retaliation play out ahead of a major election, in which the party must “overcome martial law and rein in the Democratic Party-led administration’s runaway power.”

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon is seen getting into his car after leaving the National Assembly following a press conference on Jan. 14. [YONHAP]

“For the public and for true conservatism, I will stay with you until the end with courage and dedication,” Han said.

Throughout the video, Han kept a stiff expression, repeatedly closing his eyes or letting out sighs.

Han had previously rejected the disciplinary push, arguing that writing on an anonymous bulletin board should not be an issue and that the ethics committee’s move was based on fabricated grounds. He had not apologized until Sunday.

At a news conference Wednesday — the day the committee made its decision — he pushed back, saying “expulsion is another martial law.” Han’s supporters held a rally on Saturday at the PPP headquarters, calling for the expulsion to be withdrawn, as tensions between the two sides continued to escalate.

Han’s shift to an apology on Sunday was interpreted by some as a tactical step back. “He took a step back after considering advice from within and outside the party that an all-out war would mean mutual destruction,” a first-term lawmaker said.

People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok, left, and PPP floor leader Son Eon-seog, are seen during a hunger strike that Jang began at the National Assembly's main rotunda in Yeouido, western Seoul on Jan. 15. [YONHAP]

Han’s allies were said to have played a major role in persuading him. Some Han-aligned lawmakers gathered in Seoul over the weekend to discuss their response and then conveyed their views to him, according to one pro-Han lawmaker.

“The argument was that while the expulsion move was retaliatory, Han should still offer a moral apology to the public and party members over how far the situation had spiraled, in order to create room to resolve the issue politically,” the lawmaker said.

Another pro-Han lawmaker said there were concerns that an apology could be seen as Han fully acknowledging wrongdoing in the bulletin-board controversy and could give hard-line conservatives ammunition to attack him. “So we advised him to apologize, but also to make clear that the offensive over the bulletin board was based on fabricated claims,” the lawmaker said.

Indeed, Han opened the video by saying, “The disciplinary action against me is a clear fabrication and political retaliation, but separately from that, there is something I want to say to the public and party members.”

Han was also said to have called lawmakers and other figures himself to seek advice. While some argued he should confront Jang head-on, even to the point of launching a campaign to force him out, most were said to have urged a statement of apology or regret to open a path for his next steps, given what they saw as the party heading toward mutual ruin.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok bows his head down in apology for former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law, declared on Dec. 3, 2024, at a press conference held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 7. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

A realistic assessment may also have played a part: an injunction request — to suspend the effect of the disciplinary action — which Han’s side has been considering instead of seeking a rehearing by the ethics committee, is unlikely to provide a fundamental solution.

“Unless there is a decisive procedural flaw, the chances of reversing a party’s internal disciplinary issue through an injunction are slim,” a PPP lawmaker with a prosecutorial background said.

Han’s view that the issue must be resolved inside the party, not outside it, also appears to have influenced his decision to apologize.

“Han seemed to understand better than anyone that collective action such as leaving the party would not be helpful with the June 3 local elections approaching,” a PPP lawmaker, not closely aligned with any faction, said.

With Jang urging Han to seek a rehearing from the ethics committee and submit an explanation, Han’s expression of political regret may also shift the burden of choice back to Jang. “Now that Han has apologized — something that had been seen as a precondition to rehearing — Jang will have a lot to think about,” an opposition figure said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON KOOK-HEE [[email protected]]