Han dismisses Democratic Party's renewed push over daughter's alleged résumé fraud as 'political retaliation'

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon praised Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon as "a highly reasonable person" and someone the conservative camp must work with to secure victory.

Appearing on KBS's Sunday Diagnosis program Sunday, Han described Oh in those terms when asked to assess him as a politician. When pressed on whether the two should join forces to broaden the conservative base, he said, "We have never let go of each other's hands."

On Oh's acquittal at the appellate court, Han said, "I said from the first-instance ruling that the verdict was problematic and that it had to be corrected on appeal — and it was corrected exactly as I argued. I am truly relieved."

Asked how he planned to overcome what some conservatives have labeled a "traitor" framing, Han said, "I have never betrayed the people. The main reason they say that is because I blocked the martial law declaration — but martial law had to be blocked, and I believe I did what I had to do." He added that he would still take the time to explain himself fully to those who felt that way.

On criticism that he has yet to shed his image as a prosecutor, Han said, "A leader is someone who fights where the people believe a fight is needed," adding, "When it comes to those who commit crimes while in politics, I will act like a prosecutor."

Han criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's renewed calls for an investigation into allegations that his daughter fabricated her résumé, calling it "political retaliation — a third and fourth round of the same attack."

"Isn't the timing suspicious?" he said. "Am I appearing before a parliamentary hearing? Am I running in an election? Has some new information come out?" Han argued that the attacks came in response to his criticism of the Democratic Party on several fronts — including what he described as a lobbying scandal involving the brother of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, the delayed investigation into a North Korean mine attack in the demilitarized zone, and strains in the South Korea-US alliance. "Because I pointed out these painful problems for the Democratic Party, they are cowardly attacking my child as a way of going after me, the messenger — doing so while I was abroad for a parliamentary audit," he said.

Han, who traveled to the United States as a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee for an overseas parliamentary audit, said a senior American official sought him out at his hotel for a lengthy conversation. "They came to my hotel and asked to meet me, and expressed deep concern about whether the Lee Jae Myung administration might unilaterally declare a transfer of wartime operational control, ignoring the US position," he said.

Han also weighed in on recent remarks by Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, on the operational control transfer, noting that Brunson had been on the same flight to Washington as the committee. "He recently made a very strong and clear statement — and that statement came after he had coordinated with Washington," Han said.


sun@heraldcorp.com