Oh Se-hoon Keeps Distance From Backing Han Dong-hoon's Return; Pro-Han Lawmakers Point It Out Directly

On the 6th, as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon kept his distance from expectations that independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon would rejoin the People Power Party, pro-Han lawmakers directly pointed out the mayor's changed stance, sparking a war of nerves over leadership of the opposition camp. The 'Han Dong-hoon reinstatement theory' was first raised by senior lawmakers such as Kim Tae-ho and Yoon Sang-hyun, and even Kwon Young-jin, regarded as part of the pro-Oh Se-hoon camp, lent it momentum.

Once the reinstatement issue surfaced, an SNS post Oh wrote last January was brought up again. Park Jeong-hoon, a People Power Party lawmaker considered part of the pro-Han faction, cited the post — in which Oh opposed Han's expulsion and demanded Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk's resignation — and questioned why the mayor, having written that, is now so cautious about Han's return.

Mayor Oh has urged caution. On the reinstatement issue, he said, "Conflict can be minimized only when consensus is formed among the majority of party members." Within the party, some have floated an alliance theory built around the names of Oh Se-hoon, Han Dong-hoon, and Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk. However, both Mayor Oh and Chairman Jang are keeping their distance from the question of Han's reinstatement.

With next year's party convention ahead, Han's return is likely to become the People Power Party's biggest issue, and observers predict a full-blown power struggle within the party over the initiative.