- Drop in approval ratings due to lack of party unity? National conventions are naturally fierce
- Reasons for falling approval ratings? Real estate, high oil prices, US-Iran tensions, and more
- Only raised procedural issues regarding Jeon Yong-gi's appointment... We are all pro-Lee Jae-myung
- Dinner between President and party leadership will be a rallying point as 'one team'
- Rhyu Si-min's 'monarchy' remark? "Do not entirely agree"
- Cho Hee-dae's nomination recommendation essentially disregarded the President's appointment power
- This judicial overreach is 'Cho Hee-dae's Second Rebellion'—what is the intention?
- Passing the Special Counsel Bill for Distorted Indictments in September? An issue that requires deliberation
 
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Taehyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00 AM)
■ Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Taehyun
■ Guest: Han Min-soo, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea
 
▷Kim Taehyun: The President's approval ratings have been looking concerning lately. Yesterday, a poll was released showing declines for both the ruling party and the presidential office. Some point out that the party has failed to see any convention bounce following the leadership change. We will connect by phone with Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council member Han Min-soo to discuss these matters. Supreme Council Member, hello.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Hello, this is Han Min-soo.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: First of all, congratulations on your election.
 
▶Han Min-soo: You made sure to add 'first of all,' but thank you.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Personally, being elected gives you plenty of reason to be congratulated. However, since the convention, the party should have enjoyed a bounce and seen approval ratings surge, but that has not been the case. The President's approval ratings are also down. Where do you see the cause of this?
 
▶Han Min-soo: I believe it reflects just how difficult everyday life is for our people right now. While our tax revenue has increased due to the semiconductor boom, the government will make efforts to ensure these resources are distributed evenly. However, as various polling agencies have indicated, the biggest reason appears to be real estate issues, and the public is expressing a lot of concern about hardships in their livelihood. It has been a few months now, so people tend to forget, but the United States and Iran are still practically at war. As a result, high oil prices and high interest rates ultimately weigh on the public's livelihood—and real estate is part of everyday livelihood as well. I believe these factors are impacting the approval ratings of both the President and our party.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: So in the end, you are viewing this as a failure to resolve public livelihood issues, which is why there has been no convention bounce.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Rather than saying we failed to resolve them, the party, government, and presidential office are striving and doing our best. But from the public's perspective, they look at immediate, tangible impacts. Regarding real estate, as I have mentioned elsewhere, under the previous conservative administration, actual figures for housing supply and permits dropped sharply. Once our administration took office, we drew up plans over several years, but when power does not transition smoothly or another government enters, those lag effects surface repeatedly. If we focus specifically on real estate, the party, government, and presidential office are currently coordinating tax policies well, and we will present sound housing supply policies to reassure the public.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: During the national convention, there were intense clashes between the two sides. Normally after a convention, a unified atmosphere forms where everyone rallies together as 'one team,' which encourages supporters and brings a convention bounce. But even after this convention ended, things feel somewhat unresolved. Over the issue of electing the youth supreme council member, three members from the so-called 'Team Jung Chung-rae' did not vote. Are supporters disappointed because the Democratic Party has not fully united as one team, leading to the drop in approval ratings?
 
▶Han Min-soo: We are indeed one team. National conventions are fierce in any political party.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: That is true.
 
▶Han Min-soo: It is fierce. And whenever I compare us to the People Power Party—though they are hardly comparable—we are different. We always have the Democratic Party DNA. We compete fiercely, but once it is over, we possess the power to unite as one. Look at that party. Look at the level of disciplinary actions they take against sitting lawmakers. They prevent them from running in general elections altogether, effectively seeking to eliminate them politically.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: There is nothing like that in our Democratic Party. Regarding the matter you mentioned earlier, I also pointed out procedural issues, but the party leader called for a vote, we expressed our stance, and the resolution passed. Furthermore, we are actively cooperating with everything the new party leader is doing. We have a shared goal. Because everyone is pro-Lee Jae-myung and we are pro-Lee Jae-myung politicians, we unite for the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration. No politician can dispute that. Nor should anyone like that exist within the Democratic Party of Korea. Therefore, I want to emphasize that we are joining forces toward that common purpose and goal.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Amidst this, there is a dinner at Cheong Wa Dae today.
 
▶Han Min-soo: That is correct.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: You will naturally attend. What kind of gathering will this be?
 
▶Han Min-soo: I feel quite excited today. It has been some time since I last met the President, and we have gone through the convention process. The President has invited the new leadership for a meal, and we are very grateful. As you know, on August 19, the President had a lengthy dinner with the three party leader candidates and Floor Leader Han Byung-do, who served as acting leader. This time it is with the new leadership, and on Friday, August 28, following our party lawmakers' workshop, all of us will visit Cheong Wa Dae for a luncheon with the President.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Is that so?
 
▶Han Min-soo: Yes. And as everyone knows, this gathering will be a place to reaffirm that the party, government, and presidential office must become one team centered around the President to ensure our administration's success. It is a place to rally together. In addition, we need to address areas affecting people's daily lives, such as the real estate issue you mentioned. As the Lee Jae-myung administration enters its second year and faces the regular National Assembly session in the second half of the year, policy and legislative tasks will also be discussed when meeting the President after the workshop. Today, the President will encourage the new leadership and share his thoughts, while we will also share ours. I expect it to be a very warm gathering where the party, government, and presidential office become one.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: As a supreme council member, have you prepared any particular words or thoughts you want to share with the President today? Something you feel you must say.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Even if I had, would I reveal it here this morning?
 
▷Kim Taehyun: It sounds like you do have something prepared, right?
 
▶Han Min-soo: Furthermore, we never disclose conversations held with the President.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: In any case, it seems you are preparing something.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Naturally, in the past when I entered such meetings as chief of staff, the President would go around the room and ask each leadership member to say a few words.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: That is true.
 
▶Han Min-soo: So I do think about what to say, but if there is no opportunity to speak, then I will not. We will have to see.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Writer Rhyu Si-min appeared on former MBC reporter Jang In-soo's YouTube channel yesterday. Did you see it?
 
▶Han Min-soo: I did not watch the entire video, but I saw that some reports have come out.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Right. Among the remarks made yesterday, Writer Rhyu Si-min commented on the August 17 national convention results, saying: "For a president to handpick and try to elect the ruling party leader leads to a monarchy or aristocracy. There are no winners in this national convention." In essence, he argued that the President picked new leader Kim Min-seok and got him elected, describing it as a monarchy or aristocracy. Do you agree with this analysis?
 
▶Han Min-soo: Writer Rhyu Si-min has appeared on various YouTube programs and made multiple remarks. Initially, I thought some of his comments stemmed from loyalty to the President. However, when he used expressions like an 'inevitable defeat,' I previously pointed out that such remarks seemed excessive. Since I have not seen the full video of what you just mentioned, I do not know the full context of his statements.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: But Writer Rhyu Si-min is neither an elected nor appointed official of the Lee Jae-myung administration, nor is he an active politician. He simply shared his personal thoughts as a commentator. Therefore, placing too much weight on it by criticizing or agreeing could lead to further controversy, so judging it in that manner does not seem appropriate. One might wonder whether everything Writer Rhyu Si-min said is correct, but I view it as a matter of individual judgment.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: He also said yesterday: "I used to say President Lee is someone who constantly learns and evolves, but right now that learning appears to have stopped." This is quite critical. Why do you think he is confronting the President like this even after the national convention has concluded?
 
▶Han Min-soo: How would I know that? You should invite Writer Rhyu Si-min to Kim Taehyun's Political Show and ask him directly. Wouldn't that make sense?
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Should I do that?
 
▶Han Min-soo: Of course.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Then regarding the two remarks by Writer Rhyu that I introduced, you do not agree with them, correct?
 
▶Han Min-soo: As I said, I will first examine the overall context in which Writer Rhyu made those remarks.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: The context was simply criticism of the President.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Right, but since it is a full video, it must have been recorded for at least several dozen minutes, right?
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: I will look into it and make a judgment.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: So you are reserving judgment for now?
 
▶Han Min-soo: Everyone—regardless of whether they are politicians, individuals, supporters, or opponents—will have their own assessment of Writer Rhyu's remarks. But if I, as a member of the Democratic Party and a lawmaker, make an evaluation, it could spark another controversy. How could I agree with everything Writer Rhyu determines? Wouldn't you agree?
 
▷Kim Taehyun: I suppose so.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Naturally, there are aspects to approach critically, and from another perspective, one might see how certain interpretations are possible, accepting what can be accepted.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: The two sentences I shared yesterday were straightforward criticisms of the President, which is why I asked how you view them.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Writer Rhyu has his own judgment, which is why he spoke that way, but I do not entirely agree.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Understood. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's nomination recommendation for Supreme Court justices has caused quite a stir. The ruling party is pressuring him to resign. However, as you know, it seems unlikely that Chief Justice Cho will step down. The next question is whether to push for impeachment. How do you view this issue as part of the leadership?
 
▶Han Min-soo: First of all, regarding why Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is engaging in what I consider political behavior, let me give you a clear example. Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae was appointed some time ago, as his tenure has progressed.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Under President Yoon Suk-yeol, he recommended Supreme Court justice appointments in person within 11 days. Yet for President Lee Jae-myung, who opened a government of popular sovereignty, he did not make a recommendation for 209 days and ultimately did so in writing, which I view as essentially disregarding the President's appointment power. Looking strictly at these numbers, does this look normal to you? It is not.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Furthermore, the Minister of the National Court Administration appeared before the National Assembly and claimed that the Chief Justice's recommendation power, the National Assembly's consent power, and the President's appointment power are equal rights. How many of our citizens would agree with that statement? Therefore, when the public sees this behavior, it is utterly unacceptable, and this is not the first time. Our citizens remember May 1 of last year. As we entered the June 3 snap presidential election phase, did they not attempt a judicial coup to strip then-candidate Lee Jae-myung—who was the leading presidential contender supported by the public—of his eligibility to run? If May 1 of last year was the First Rebellion of Cho Hee-dae, I believe it is entirely fair to define this recent judicial overreach as the Second Rebellion of Cho Hee-dae.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Therefore, we need a thorough analysis and judgment regarding what intentions Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae had in creating this unprecedented situation that completely challenges and disregards the President's appointment power.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Our leadership, including our new party leader, is demanding his immediate resignation, yet he has shown no response. Thus, at the National Assembly level, our party leadership is conducting a comprehensive review of all options regarding his position.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: At this juncture, as Anchor Kim likely knows, I also want to make a firm request to judges nationwide. Is it right to simply stand by and watch the stature of our courts, Supreme Court justices, and public trust plummet because of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae? Where has all the resolve gone from when judges used to convene conferences at the slightest issue to confront the administration and criticize our Democratic Party? At a time like this, judges should convene a nationwide judges' conference to either warn Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae or demand his resignation. Don't you think so?
 
▷Kim Taehyun: In your framing, there was the First Rebellion of Cho Hee-dae, and now the Second Rebellion.
 
▶Han Min-soo: That is how I see it.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: A rebellion must be suppressed.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Yes.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Simply put, how do you plan to resolve this? Pursue impeachment, or drive internal pressure through judges' conferences to force his resignation? You likely have various ideas.
 
▶Han Min-soo: As I said, there are certainly conscientious judges across the country. And looking at internal discussions reported in the media, just as in May of last year, there seems to be simmering internal discontent regarding Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. If they are judges of the Republic of Korea, the time has come for such sentiment to be expressed externally.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Are you saying judges across the nation should rise up?
 
▶Han Min-soo: I do not know if they will rise up just because I call for it, but I appeal to their conscience. An institution that has lost public trust—just like the National Assembly—cannot stand without trust (無信不立).
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Look at the current stature of our judges and the courts. I believe Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae has played a decisive role in that decline. Therefore, such internal mechanisms are necessary, and we in the National Assembly, particularly the Democratic Party as the ruling party, will deliberate on how to resolve this matter and how to address Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's issue from the perspective of the public.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Understood. As a final question, Senior Spokesperson Park Sung-joon mentioned in a media interview yesterday that he conveyed a personal opinion that it would be advisable for the Legislation and Judiciary Committee to process the Special Counsel Bill for Distorted Indictments next month.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Yes.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Will you be processing this Special Counsel Bill for Distorted Indictments in September? When this topic was previously brought up, the prevailing assessment was that it negatively impacted the local elections.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Senior Spokesperson Park Sung-joon also stated that it was his personal opinion. Up to this point, this issue has not been tabled or discussed within the party leadership. Furthermore, as you may recall from before the local elections, both Cheong Wa Dae and the party noted that a sufficient process of internal and public deliberation is required. We must evaluate whether we have gone through that process.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: While a bill has been introduced, how to approach it and what specific contents to include will need to be discussed very meticulously and prudently.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Yes.
 
▶Han Min-soo: What I can say now is that within our parliamentary group, there have not yet been any proposals or discussions regarding when this special counsel bill should be processed or whether to begin discussions.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: So you are saying it needs to be handled with caution? Understood.
 
▶Han Min-soo: As you said, a process of deliberation is necessary.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: Understood. We will conclude today's interview here.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Thank you. Have a wonderful day.
 
▷Kim Taehyun: That was Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council member Han Min-soo. Thank you.
 
▶Han Min-soo: Thank you.

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