Han Dong-hoon Family Linked to Online Smear Campaign, Sparking Political Firestorm in South Korea
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A deepening controversy surrounding alleged online attacks targeting President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife has ensnared former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, with an internal investigation revealing potential links to members of his family. The unfolding situation threatens to further destabilize the ruling party and ignite a fierce internal power struggle.
Party Audit Committee Uncovers Troubling Connections
On February 9th, the People Power Party Audit Committee disclosed preliminary findings from its investigation into the “party member bulletin board suspicion.” The committee confirmed that individuals sharing the same names as Han Dong-hoon’s wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and daughter were registered members of the party’s online forum and had posted content. While the investigation is ongoing, the committee noted that the last four digits of the mobile phone numbers associated with these accounts matched.
“As a result of checking the party member list, Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C, who use the same name as the family of former representative Han, are all members of the Gangnam-gu Army in Seoul, and the last four digits of their mobile phone numbers are also the same,” stated Chairman Lee Ho-seon of the party affairs audit committee in an emergency notice. He further confirmed that another individual, “Mr. D,” shares the same name as Han Dong-hoon’s daughter and was registered as an overseas national party member. It is publicly known that Han Dong-hoon’s daughter was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2023.
The timing of the individuals’ party withdrawals is also under scrutiny. According to the committee’s findings, “Mr. D” withdrew on December 16th, followed by “Mr. B” and “Mr. C” on December 17th, and “Mr. A” on December 19th – coinciding with Han Dong-hoon’s resignation as CEO on December 16th.
Allegations of Defamatory Posts and Political Motives
The core of the suspicion centers on approximately 1,000 posts allegedly made on the People Power Party’s anonymous bulletin board in November, which reportedly defamed President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife. An opposition official suggested the circumstances strongly imply a connection to the former leader’s family, though definitive proof remains elusive.
However, Chairman Lee Ho-seon cautioned against premature conclusions. “It has not yet been confirmed whether these are the actual family members of former CEO Han,” he stated in a phone call. “If the IPs of their posts are the same, then fairness has been harmed in that one person distorted the public debate by using an imaginary ID.” The Party Affairs Audit Committee initiated a full-scale investigation on January 28th, and this announcement marks the first public disclosure of its progress.
The committee plans to gather member feedback and refer the findings to the Party Ethics Committee after completing the investigation. The party is currently seeking a replacement for former ethics committee chairwoman Yeo Sang-won, who resigned last month.
Internal Divisions Erupt Within the People Power Party
The announcement ignited immediate and passionate reactions within the government. Former Supreme Council member Jang Ye-chan publicly called for Han Dong-hoon to apologize, stating on Facebook that he should “reflect on his family’s manipulation of public opinion.” A People Power Party official indicated that addressing the bulletin board suspicions was a key demand from party members during the recent national convention, contributing to Representative Jang’s election.
However, staunch allies of Han Dong-hoon vehemently defended him, denouncing the investigation as a politically motivated “personal murder” (Rep. Park Jeong-ha). Representative Park criticized the disclosure of family members’ names as a violation of personal information, arguing that unconfirmed suspicions were being presented as fact. A first-term member aligned with the pro-friendly group suggested the investigation was a “shallow internal campaign” designed to deflect attention from the administration’s challenges by targeting Han Dong-hoon, a prominent critic of the Lee Jae-myung administration.
Han Dong-hoon Responds, Accuses Leadership of Political Maneuvering
Han Dong-hoon himself addressed the controversy on SBS YouTube, accusing current party leader Jang Dong-hyuk of orchestrating the attacks to divert attention from his own political vulnerabilities. “Representative Jang Dong-hyuk has been cornered a lot recently, so he chose to attack his political opponents in some way and cause chaos within the party,” he stated. He added, “The leadership situation will not be resolved in this way.”
The unfolding scandal underscores the deep fissures within the People Power Party and raises serious questions about the integrity of its internal communications and the potential for abuse of anonymous online platforms. The investigation’s outcome will likely have significant ramifications for the party’s future and the broader political landscape in South Korea.
