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PPP's internal turmoil deepens as party expels former leader Han Dong-hoon

Published: 29 Jan. 2026, 19:27

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon is seen at a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 29. [YONHAP]

The People Power Party (PPP)'s supreme council voted to expel former party leader Han Dong-hoon on Thursday, plunging Korea's main conservative opposition party into deeper internal turmoil with just 124 days remaining until the June 3 local elections.

The decision has escalated the PPP's internal power struggle, with party leader Jang Dong-hyeok clashing head-on with Han's supporters, and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon publicly calling for Jang’s resignation.

Jang presided over the supreme council meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday and finalized the motion to expel Han. The move came just one day after Han returned to party affairs and 15 days after the party's ethics committee decided to expel him over allegations involving the manipulation of the party’s online bulletin board.

With the expulsion, Han has lost his party membership and is banned from rejoining for five years, effectively barring him from running in the June local elections, upcoming parliamentary by-elections, the 2028 general election and the next presidential race as a PPP candidate.

The vote on Han’s expulsion was conducted by a show of hands. Of the nine members of the PPP supreme council, seven — including Jang, floor leader Song Eon-seog, policy chief Jeong Jeom-sig, and supreme council members Kim Min-su, Kim Jae-won, Shin Dong-uk and Cho Gwang-han — voted in favor.

Yang Hyang-ja, who has emphasized party unity, abstained. Woo Jae-jun, the youth supreme council member aligned with Han’s faction, cast the sole vote against the motion.

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk is seen after a party supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 29. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

“Han’s expulsion is retaliation for supporting the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and marks the peak of the party’s internal conflict,” said Woo.

In contrast, Kim Min-su defended the move.

“Would we stand by if someone mobilized their entire family to slander 107 lawmakers?” said Kim, referencing the bulletin board allegations.

Cho likened Han to a “toxic liability,” adding that “Han is a major obstacle to the party’s progress and future.”

Roughly four hours after the decision, Han held a press conference at the National Assembly.

Former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon is seen at a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 29. [YONHAP]

“You can expel me, but you can’t extinguish the public’s desire for better politics,” said Han. “Don’t ever give up. I will return.”

Sixteen Han-affiliated lawmakers held a separate press conference, calling for Jang’s resignation.

“Jang and his leadership, who have driven the party in an unconstitutional and undemocratic direction for personal gain, must step down immediately,” the PPP lawmakers said.

The controversy has spilled beyond the party, engulfing the broader conservative bloc. With the local elections approaching and approval ratings stuck in the 20-percent range, concerns are mounting over a potential defeat.

Seoul Mayor Oh, who had previously opposed Han’s expulsion, wrote on Facebook that Jang “has dragged the party down a path of self-destruction” and should step down. He also criticized the decision as a move to turn the party into a personal political vehicle for Jang and his loyalists.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at a city welfare event at a venue in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Jan. 29. [YONHAP]

“Given the leadership’s unwillingness to break with former President Yoon, relying solely on hard-core conservatives for the election will be a recipe for failure,” said a member of Oh’s camp.

Twenty-four former and current district party chiefs, including Ham Kyung-woo, former chief of a constituency in Gwangju, also issued a statement demanding Jang’s resignation.

Observers inside the party say the fight for control will only intensify.

“If approval ratings don’t recover after the Lunar New Year holidays and the party continues failing to broaden its support base, even neutral lawmakers may start calling for leadership change,” said a senior lawmaker from the southern Gyeongsang region.

The group, composed of first- and second-term PPP lawmakers, urged Jang to “declare a clean break from political forces that supported martial law and promoted election conspiracy theories, and present a concrete road map for party unity and solidarity.”

People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok is seen after a party supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 29. [NEWS1]

Jang is now expected to focus on expanding the party’s reach and revamping its image, having removed a major source of internal discord. Plans include changing the party’s name and revising its platform and policy agenda in February.

However, Lee Jun-seok, head of the Reform Party, ruled out the possibility of an election alliance with the PPP on the same day.

“There is no basis for a coalition,” Lee said. “We know each other too well, and we have no intention of entering into such discussions.”

“By expelling Han, who led efforts to lift martial law, the party risks alienating moderate and centrist conservatives,” said Lee Jae-mook, professor of political science at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. “The more likely a defeat becomes, the less incentive the Reform Party will have to ally with the PPP.”

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 KIM GYU-TAE [[email protected]]