- Chuseok public sentiment? We now have a real opposition party, the "Han Dong-hoon Party"
- Irritated whenever Jang Dong-hyeok speaks... Neither credibility nor inspiration
- Demanding "reelections" while pushing "impeachment" only draws sympathy for Lee
- Solution to Lee's personnel woes? Must first resolve vacancies in investigative and enforcement agencies
- Ministry of Justice must seek talent from across the aisle, not just allies
- Personnel chaos? Once moving past dropping charges, talent will become visible
- DMZ accident and prisoner repatriation controversy stem from walking on eggshells around Kim Jong-un
- If Lee makes a critical blunder toward the end, it will be on North Korea and national security
- Should have retaliated with propaganda loudspeakers, which hurt North Korea most
- Public clash with Ukraine is a mistake; it should have been handled behind the scenes

■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00 AM)
■ Date: Monday, September 28, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Cho Gap-je, CEO of Chogabje.com

▷Kim Tae-hyun : We examine the political arena through a conservative lens. Cho Gap-je, CEO of Chogabje.com, is here with us. Welcome.

▶Cho Gap-je : Hello.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Let's start with this. During Chuseok, people often ask what public sentiment was like around them. People Power Party Representative Jang Dong-hyeok, as an opposition leader, remarked, "Chuseok public sentiment is, in a word, on the brink of explosion." He went further to say, "The president should step down voluntarily," and "The Chuseok gift the public wants most is presidential impeachment." What did you think of his remarks?

▶Cho Gap-je : More than half the public gets irritated at the mere mention of Jang Dong-hyeok's name. That means everything he says carries neither credibility nor inspiration. And the more that happens, the more radical his rhetoric becomes. Demanding that the president step down immediately—how exactly could that be done? Is there any realistic way to make him step down? Moreover, with Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon doing so well right now, Jang has fallen behind. Whenever terms like the party bulletin board incident or Olympic Park come up, shouldn't he speak while considering what the public actually thinks?

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Right.

▶Cho Gap-je : So I believe that during this Chuseok, the noun mentioned most frequently around dinner tables was Han Dong-hoon. That is the true Chuseok public sentiment. In that sense, I think our people have gained a real opposition party: the Han Dong-hoon Party.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : But he is an independent.

▶Cho Gap-je : He functions just like a political party. Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon is practically a one-man party and a one-man media organization. As that continues, Representative Jang Dong-hyeok's influence wanes, and I believe he is finished. Politically finished.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Politically finished?

▶Cho Gap-je : Politically. It is only a matter of time.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : But the calls from within the People Power Party for Jang to step down have actually subsided recently.

▶Cho Gap-je : Before long, as the general election approaches, I think people within the People Power Party will go to Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon and plead with him to rejoin the party and lead their election campaign.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : So Representative Jang Dong-hyeok is finished politically?

▶Cho Gap-je : If a prospective candidate says, "I am backed by Representative Jang Dong-hyeok" versus "I am close with Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon," which one would voters choose?

▷Kim Tae-hyun : For an opposition leader, criticizing the president and saying Chuseok public sentiment was unfavorable is par for the course. But why do you think he goes further to demand stepping down and impeachment? You seem to view that as overreaching.

▶Cho Gap-je : One should not talk about things that are impossible to realize. As Bismarck said, politics is the art of the possible. One must focus on what is feasible. Demanding nationwide reelections right now is simply impossible. Then he should drop it. Instead of dropping it, he keeps engaging in bizarre antics there and demanding President Lee Jae-myung step down, which will only end up generating sympathy for President Lee.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Then is such harsh rhetoric intended to raise his own profile? As in his underlying intent.

▶Cho Gap-je : Anyone can talk tough. But if it isn't backed by capability, it just becomes nonsense.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : What do you think needs to change for Representative Jang and the People Power Party he leads?

▶Cho Gap-je : Over the past month, all the opinion polls have shown a major shift. Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon swept first place as the favored next president, and importantly, in the SisaIN survey, he emerged as the most trusted politician. In response, public opinion among conservatives and People Power Party supporters overwhelmingly favors Han Dong-hoon rejoining the party. It is overwhelming.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Yes.

▶Cho Gap-je : Meanwhile, in that same demographic, Jang Dong-hyeok's approval ratings dropped, and Han Dong-hoon's rose. So the game is already over among the conservative base. Yet party members and lawmakers in the People Power Party seem to see it a bit differently. But ultimately, that is the direction they will have to go.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : They will have no choice but to follow public sentiment?

▶Cho Gap-je : Exactly. They have no choice. Especially ahead of an election, things will increasingly converge in that direction. The broader trend has already been decided.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Looking at Representative Jang's recent interview, he argued that the party bulletin board issue caused division among People Power Party supporters and was the root cause of all subsequent unfortunate events, implying things cannot move forward until that is resolved.

▶Cho Gap-je : He claimed it tore things to shreds.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : He used the expression that it tore the conservatives to shreds.

▶Cho Gap-je : Aren't there three people who actually tore conservatives to shreds?

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Who?

▶Cho Gap-je : Yoon Suk-yeol, Hwang Kyo-ahn, and Jang Dong-hyeok. Tearing things to shreds by pushing election fraud conspiracy theories, tearing things to shreds with talk of "enlightenment edicts," causing losses across elections. And on top of that, disciplining Han Dong-hoon.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : So he is framing this not merely as a party bulletin board issue, but as something tied to the fate of the conservative party. Is he trying to blow this up into a larger matter?

▶Cho Gap-je : How contradictory this is: when the party bulletin board issue first broke, Jang Dong-hyeok went on broadcasts claiming it was no big deal. Moreover, the party bulletin board incident involves a constitutional violation. Even the post written by Han Dong-hoon's relative wasn't problematic, but penalizing Representative Han over that writing likely violates Article 13 of the Constitution.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : The prohibition of guilt by association?

▶Cho Gap-je : The prohibition of guilt by association. And there is more: the violation of the presumption of innocence. They claimed he was expelled for criminal acts. Should a former judge be violating two constitutional principles?

▷Kim Tae-hyun : In any case, it was fully expected that Representative Jang would take this stance. It was predictable that he would cite the bulletin board issue to firmly oppose Han's reinstatement. From Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon's perspective, how should he navigate this? What would be the wise approach?

▶Cho Gap-je : There is no reason for Han Dong-hoon to rush to rejoin. Entering like a triumphant general or an occupying force might work. But there is no need to beg to be reinstated; the side that needs to plead is the weakened People Power Party. The party should promptly abandon the Jang Dong-hyeok leadership, welcome back the highly capable and popular Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, and prepare measures for the 2028 general elections. That is what aligns with public sentiment.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : So you are saying Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon doesn't need to force his way back in right now. He should just wait outside until they come looking for him, continuing to build his strength as he is doing now?

▶Cho Gap-je : He is so far ahead that people speak of a Han Dong-hoon Party, and the People Power Party is acting like a secondary auxiliary force to him. Under the Jang Dong-hyeok system, the People Power Party was playing second fiddle to the Democratic Party, and now, with Han Dong-hoon so far ahead, they are playing a supporting role behind him.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : During the hearings?

▶Cho Gap-je : If that deepens, things will coalesce around Han Dong-hoon.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Let me share the details of the opinion polls mentioned earlier by Cho Gap-je. Gallup Korea conducted the 2026 Korea Trust Survey commissioned by SisaIN on September 6 – 8 via landline and mobile telephone interviews. It asked an open-ended question about which currently active politician across ruling and opposition parties is most trusted. "None," "Don't know," and "Refused to answer" made up the highest share at 39.3%. In this open-ended survey, independent Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon ranked first with 11.4%. And there is one more.

(Conducted by Gallup Korea and commissioned by SisaIN on September 6 – 8 among 1,013 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide for the '2026 Korea Trust Survey,' asking the open-ended question: "Who is the currently active politician across ruling and opposition parties that you trust the most?" Conducted via dual-frame Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) combining landline and mobile phones. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 8.7%. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.)

▷Kim Tae-hyun : And there is one more survey. Polling agency STI conducted a mobile web survey commissioned by Hankook Ilbo from September 14 to 17. Regarding "Lawmaker Han Dong-hoon rejoining the party," 33.2% of total respondents supported it, 32.4% opposed it, and 34.3% said they were unsure. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.

(Commissioned by Hankook Ilbo and conducted by STI from September 14 to 17 among 2,000 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, combining mobile phone web survey (87.4%) and web survey (12.6%). The response rate was 4.6%, and the margin of error was ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.)

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Representative Jang continues to visit Olympic Park. Some voices, even within the party, seem to suggest moving past this to highlight the party's stature as a governing alternative, sending citizens home, and acting as a constructive opposition. How should this be resolved? They need to find an exit strategy.

▶Cho Gap-je : When will they find an exit strategy? When the parliamentary election draws near, People Power Party lawmakers will make their calculations. It comes down to choosing between following Jang Dong-hyeok or following Han Dong-hoon.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : So you believe Representative Jang will remain focused on Olympic Park until then?

▶Cho Gap-je : Whatever this person does, it fails to make news. He lacks information, so to speak. This is an information battle. In the cyber realm of social media, the duel is about who breaks exclusive news. Han Dong-hoon consistently delivers exclusives, while Jang Dong-hyeok keeps chanting about the party bulletin board. When the public sees that, it produces survey results like these. The public is acting as the referee right now. A political party is ultimately a fish swimming in the ocean of the public. If the ocean has changed, there is no need to stay there and sink together.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Understood. Let's discuss the president. Having returned from his tour of the United States and Mexico, he faces numerous difficult challenges ahead. First, personnel issues must be resolved. A replacement for the chief of staff seems likely, as Kang Hoon-sik stated he would step down. A new chief of staff must be appointed, and a new minister of justice must be named. What kind of figures do you think would be suitable? What profile should they have?

▶Cho Gap-je : The most urgent matter is that the heads of the four major investigative and enforcement agencies are all vacant.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : The Serious Crime Investigation Office, the National Police Agency?

▶Cho Gap-je : Yes, including the minister of justice. That must be resolved quickly. A new judicial system is set to launch on October 2, and it is called "reform." They say reform is even harder than revolution. But launching it when the person responsible for driving that reform is currently vacant? That is a train departing with its doors open. This is what must be dealt with first.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Starting with the heads of the four major investigative and enforcement agencies?

▶Cho Gap-je : It is right before our eyes. It begins just four days from now. Tremendous problems will arise.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Why do you think it is being delayed? The position of commissioner general of the National Police Agency has been vacant for quite some time.

▶Cho Gap-je : Isn't it being delayed due to internal party discord? Within the Democratic Party, if someone had even a minor point of disagreement in the past, they object.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : That does seem to be an aspect with the head of the Serious Crime Investigation Office.

▶Cho Gap-je : President Lee Jae-myung must feel quite frustrated as well.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : What kind of person should be appointed as minister of justice?

▶Cho Gap-je : The reason President Lee Jae-myung faced such backlash this time after nominating Kim Seung-won was that he appointed someone from his own faction. Since the founding of our country, there are two ministries whose names have never changed: the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of National Defense. That means they should remain steadfast. Legal administration and military administration serve the entire public. Therefore, he should look for talent from across the aisle, not just from his own camp. There is plenty of talent out there. Instead of looking for someone to help drop charges, he should broaden his scope.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : The presidential office has indeed shown signs of personnel turmoil this time. As a result, two incumbent lawmakers nominated as ministers were dropped. What do you see as the biggest problem?

▶Cho Gap-je : Personnel appointments are the president's responsibility. Why do names like Kim Hyun-ji or Kang Hoon-sik underneath him keep coming up?

▷Kim Tae-hyun : In the end, the president makes the decision?

▶Cho Gap-je : Does anyone claim subordinates recommend the justice minister? The president decides himself. So if President Lee Jae-myung moves past dropping the charges, he will see plenty of talent before his eyes.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : So regardless of vetting or anything else, the ultimate decision-maker who signs off is the president, meaning the president himself must change.

▶Cho Gap-je : That is right.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Understood. Let's examine one more issue. Over the Chuseok holiday, two of the biggest issues were the DMZ explosion and Ukraine's disclosure regarding the undisclosed repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war. How do you think these two issues will affect the current administration?

▶Cho Gap-je : Both issues share a common criticism: everyone interprets them as walking on eggshells around Kim Jong-un. Keeping the prisoners secret was done out of deference to Kim Jong-un, and starting with this morning's newspapers, eyewitness accounts from the scene claiming it was a North Korean wooden-box landmine are being reported.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Reports quoting soldiers saying it looked like a wooden-box mine.

▶Cho Gap-je : Then an announcement should have been made the very next day. They should have stated that while it could be a North Korean wooden-box mine, a thorough investigation would be conducted before releasing confirmed findings. Instead, they acted as if they didn't know, and now about a week has passed.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : About six days.

▶Cho Gap-je : Why did this happen? The suspicion that it was done to walk on eggshells around Kim Jong-un has put the president in a very awkward position. If there is an area where President Lee Jae-myung might make his biggest blunder toward the end of his term, it is North Korea policy and national security. His thinking in this area is entirely flawed right now, and his personnel choices are flawed as well. Amid that, this incident occurred. If it is confirmed to be a wooden-box mine, is there a scenario prepared? Think about it. Suppose three soldiers were severely injured by a North Korean wooden-box mine.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Hypothethically.

▶Cho Gap-je : Not hypothetically—it is highly probable. Then what should our government do? We would have to retaliate. The most effective tool for retaliation was propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts. That is what North Korea finds most painful. But they dismantled all of them. Of course, redeploying them could be done quickly. But the question is whether they can actually do it. If they fail to do so, people will be convinced that they truly are walking on eggshells around the North.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Yes.

▶Cho Gap-je : And if they do, North Korea is unlikely to sit idly by.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : That is likely true.

▶Cho Gap-je : This time, they might pull out the nuclear card. So tremendous complications could arise. The start was misguided, and President Lee Jae-myung must quickly return to fundamental principles.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : What do you mean by returning to principles?

▶Cho Gap-je : We must confront North Korea's threats with unified national consensus. If public opinion is divided, North Korea policy will not work.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Regarding the undisclosed repatriation of the two prisoners from Ukraine, accounts from the Ukrainian government and our government seem to differ.

▶Cho Gap-je : Putting aside whether there was an attempt to keep it secret behind the scenes, turning bilateral relations between nations into an open public dispute is a mistake. This should be handled behind closed doors. Isn't that why intelligence agencies exist? Unlike the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, intelligence agencies discuss and conclude matters behind the scenes, but that function seems entirely absent. When President Lee Jae-myung speaks out publicly, the other side responds publicly as well. Turning what was intended as a positive gesture into an interstate clash only damages both sides.

▷Kim Tae-hyun : Understood. We will conclude our interview here today. Regrettably, today marks our final biweekly interview with CEO Cho Gap-je. Going forward, even if not on a biweekly basis, we will invite him back whenever important issues arise to hear his perspective. We have been speaking with Cho Gap-je, CEO of Chogabje.com. Thank you.

▶Cho Gap-je : Thank you.

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