Singer Lee Ha-neul (left) and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon [Photos: Lee Ha-neul YouTube channel, Newsis]
Singer Lee Ha-neul (left) and independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon [Photos: Lee Ha-neul YouTube channel, Newsis]

Lee Ha-neul, a member of the hip-hop group DJ DOC who has openly expressed support for the Democratic Party of Korea, is drawing attention after saying no Democratic Party figure could beat independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon.

In a video posted Sunday to his YouTube channel "Jabgiwang Lee Ha-neul," Lee said, "Whether it's Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok or lawmaker Song Yeong-gil — whoever comes out from the Democratic Party side right now, I don't think they can beat Han Dong-hoon."

Lee added that he feared the consequences of his past mockery of Han. "I think I'm done for. I used to make fun of Han Dong-hoon all the time — always going 'lid, lid' — and now I'm thinking if Han Dong-hoon actually makes it, I'm in trouble," he said.

After the video went viral, Han posted a screenshot of Lee's remarks on his Facebook page with the message: "I'm a fan lol. Fighting!" He set the background music to "Dance with DOC," the signature song of DJ DOC, the group Lee belongs to.

Lee has long been a vocal supporter of President Lee Jae Myung and the Democratic Party. He had also previously dismissed Han, saying, "I don't think of him as a politician. I think of him as a fellow YouTuber on my level."

Han has recently raised his profile as a sharp critic of Kim Seung-won, President Lee's nominee for justice minister, becoming the first to publicly allege that Kim improperly lobbied for approval of a new drug clinical trial. Han has led the charge against the nominee by revealing that a broker surnamed Yang had addressed Kim as "oppa" — a Korean term of endearment indicating a close personal relationship — and by releasing text messages and call records showing Kim passed Yang's request directly to the head of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.


paq@heraldcorp.com