- Crisis in Democratic Party approval ratings? A growing desire for us to do better
- Choo's "straw" controversy: Met with firefighter union to apologize... sincerity conveyed
- Expression inappropriate, but intended to raise issue of firefighting finances
- Investigating only Boo Seung-chan? Questioning whether to approach it as a matter of fairness
- Agree with Lee on "structural majority"... heading toward internal unity and external expansion
- Is Cho Hee-dae in a situation to stall for more time?... Grounds for impeachment exist
- Personal opinion exists, but currently in the stage of gathering intraparty views
- Essence of 'Shincheonji controversy' is proving allegations of a three-party secret alliance
- If intervention cannot be proven, those who claimed it must take responsibility

■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 – 9:00)
■ Date: October 21, 2026 (Wednesday)
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Han Min-soo, Lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea

[Kim Tae-hyun] : As previewed, we will connect with Democratic Party of Korea Supreme Council Member Han Min-soo. He is on the phone. Hello, lawmaker.

[Han Min-soo] : Hello. This is Han Min-soo.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker Han, looking at an article in the Dong-A Ilbo, there was a report saying that a sense of crisis is growing within the Democratic Party that everyone might be wiped out in the general election. Is that actually the case?

[Han Min-soo] : Was there such an article in the Dong-A Ilbo?

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : It must be an article that came out while analyzing our approval ratings and such.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes. And right now, there have been some verbal slips from both Governor Choo Mi-ae and Lawmaker Boo Seung-chan.

[Han Min-soo] : In general, especially as you mentioned, Seoul and the capital area have previously had real estate and housing price issues, and on top of that, there was the issue with single-stock leveraged ETFs, wasn't there? In particular, our stock market rose up to the 9,000 level, so weren't there people who entered near significant peaks? But it has now rapidly fallen back down to the 5,000 level. Just as it went up rapidly, it went down, so many people suffered losses. Because of that, public sentiment in the capital area had already not been good.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : In addition, as Anchor Kim Tae-hyun just said, while there was a clear intention and the remarks were made from a policy perspective and had validity, among them, some of the terms or words expressed made the public feel uncomfortable, wondering, "Was that expression really appropriate?"

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : Such aspects are now blowing up into controversies over verbal slips as you mentioned. And because public opinion on that has turned somewhat sour, I think that is why the kinds of articles you mentioned have come out.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Do you also feel that the Democratic Party is in a crisis? Since you visit your constituency and hear a lot of talk.

[Han Min-soo] : First of all, when traveling around the region, our supporters who love the Democratic Party and our party members are telling us that they want us to do a bit better, and those voices have definitely increased compared to when the administration first launched last year. In that sense, a sense of crisis—that desire from them and from our base for our party and the government to do a bit better—has definitely grown a lot. That means, as you said, we need to be a bit more vigilant.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : I think of it this way. Last year on June 3, our government of popular sovereignty was born, wasn't it? That wasn't a case where a presidential election was held normally and the previous president completed his term. After the unconstitutional and illegal martial law and insurrection of December 3, 2024, impeachment took place, and our government was launched through the early presidential election held thereafter, wasn't it?

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : And at that time, I believe so many citizens supported our president and wholeheartedly backed our Democratic Party out of concern that South Korea would be in big trouble at that rate. With that original intention, with that initial mindset, I think we must make various resolves and tighten whatever needs tightening.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker Han, looking at it now, it seems lawmakers representing Gyeonggi Province are quite stirred up in many ways because of Governor Choo Mi-ae. This time, there were remarks like "fiscal straw" and "I apologize because you want an apology."

[Han Min-soo] : Yes.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Of course, she apologized several times herself. Should there be disciplinary action or measures taken against Governor Choo Mi-ae by the party?

[Han Min-soo] : Yesterday, Governor Choo met with officials of the firefighter labor union and apologized again. I only saw the reports, but I did see an article saying that after the meeting ended, the union attendees also understood Governor Choo's sincerity, or the intention behind her remarks. But I think all of us know what Governor Choo meant at the parliamentary audit back then. Both you, Anchor Kim, and others know—nationalization of firefighting personnel has taken place and much has been reported, but the gap between national funding and local funding is quite large, isn't it? And looking at Gyeonggi Province alone, it is more severe than other places. In Gyeonggi Province, national funding accounts for 8.6% and local funding is 92.4%, so from the perspective of a governor responsible for Gyeonggi's local finances, improvements in these areas are necessary. I also recognize the need to increase the proportion borne by the state or have the state cover it entirely.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : That would be an institutional improvement,

[Han Min-soo] : In that process, as you mentioned, I think such expressions might have sounded inappropriate, especially to firefighters and many people working in related fields.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Disciplinary action would be excessive?

[Han Min-soo] : Disciplinary action?

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : Regarding that, Governor Choo Mi-ae has explained it multiple times, and the party, for instance, the party leader issued a position early on, didn't he? And since then, I believe the governor has sufficiently explained it. That is how I see it.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : But lawmaker Han, during the parliamentary audit, Lawmaker Boo Seung-chan sided with Governor Choo Mi-ae and caused another controversy by saying something like, "Isn't it true that they are sucking it dry?"

[Han Min-soo] : I also saw the article later.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : The inappropriateness of the expression, and the intent behind it are identical. Yet Lawmaker Boo Seung-chan received a warning and is even facing an ex officio investigation by the party's Ethics Tribunal. But for Governor Choo Mi-ae, who started it, nothing has happened, leading some to question whether this is fair.

[Han Min-soo] : Well, I wonder whether it is right to approach that from the angle of fairness. Also, regarding Lawmaker Boo Seung-chan, I later saw the notice—there is a chat room where notices are shared among lawmakers after being issued. When I saw that notice posted, I saw that the party leader promptly issued a warning and ordered an investigation. That judgment was made by the party leader, so I respect that as well.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Then whether Governor Choo Mi-ae is disciplined will ultimately be party leader Kim Min-seok's decision.

[Han Min-soo] : Regarding that, if the leader makes a judgment, I think he will share it with us or say something. We are watching.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker Han, Lawmaker Boo Seung-chan is a first-term lawmaker, while Governor Choo Mi-ae is the Gyeonggi Governor, a six-term lawmaker, and a former party leader. Is it burdensome?

[Han Min-soo] : Who? Party leader Kim Min-seok?

[Kim Tae-hyun] : No, for the leadership. Is it somewhat burdensome to take disciplinary action or initiate an ex officio investigation?

[Han Min-soo] : It is not like that. It is not an issue to approach in that way.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. Right now, the Democratic Party's approval ratings are not good, and as mentioned earlier, it seems a breakthrough is needed. Where should it be found?

[Han Min-soo] : As I briefly mentioned earlier, all of our members need to reflect on the launch of our Lee Jae-myung administration of popular sovereignty and the process behind it. In my view, if we look at it along two major axes, it is people's livelihoods and reform. Our government has consistently worked on this. And our party has consistently done so as well. Looking at the drop in approval ratings and the situation with our party's approval ratings, the public expected the Democratic Party, as the ruling party and a new administration emerging after the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, to do a bit more in these areas, and I think perhaps we failed to examine things more meticulously in the process.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : In terms of livelihoods, as you know, there is real estate and related taxation, and the situation of high oil prices stemming from the US-Iran war continues, right? There is also high inflation. In this process, although economic growth and economic scale are clearly improving, it seems our citizens do not feel it tangibly. These aspects should be addressed through policy, especially since after the parliamentary audit essentially wraps up this week and next week, the budget National Assembly begins. A budget of over 800 trillion won has been drawn up, so I think we just need to address what the public needs through policy.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : Regarding reform, I think there may be areas that people consider insufficient. To look into that, the leadership within the party, as well as the party's Policy Committee and others, are carefully pushing forward.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Lawmaker Han, not long ago, the president held a surprise press conference and spoke specifically about why the structural majority he mentioned is necessary. As a Supreme Council member, do you see that the urgent task for the party to overcome this crisis is to restore the traditional base rather than courting the moderate-conservative bloc? Because Supreme Council Member Choi Min-hee recently said that the traditional base must be appeased.

[Han Min-soo] : When the president talked about a structural majority, he said that we must expand our reach toward the moderates, rational reformists, and rational conservative forces. I think that is naturally correct. Historically, not only presidents produced by the progressive camp, but also presidents produced by the conservative side implemented various policies and made efforts to become a president for everyone, including the opposing camp, didn't they? I fully agree with what our president is saying.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : In that process, at the last national convention, what should I call it, each other's intended directions—people spoke about them at the convention and received support from party members, didn't they? The part where I agree with the president's remarks is something I also mentioned at the national convention: our democratic reform camp has never won an election comfortably. Isn't that true? That was the case during Park Geun-hye's impeachment, and also during Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. Therefore, I believe our entire base—especially from President Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in, and this time President Lee Jae-myung—must absolutely unite and come together. And I believe it is right to also broaden our outreach to the moderates and rational conservative forces.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : The Rebuilding Korea Party has been applying daily pressure, telling you to quickly join in impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. How do you see it? Supreme Council Member Han, do you think we must join, or should we be cautious because we are the ruling party?

[Han Min-soo] : Currently, as the party leader mentioned and through spokespersons, our party's official position, reported in the media, is that we should go through the process of gathering and consolidating opinions centered around the floor leadership. You are probably aware of this. But personally, I think: we have demanded his voluntary resignation many times so far, but is this a situation where we can drag out time any further from this stage? That is my personal thought. As already judged, I believe he infringed on the president's authority to appoint Supreme Court justices and violated his duty of recommendation. I consider this alone to be very grave.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Then go for impeachment?

[Han Min-soo] : I believe the Chief Justice himself infringed upon the people's right to trial and right to a speedy trial guaranteed by the Constitution. Furthermore, controversies such as unlawful monetary incentives and operational expenses could clearly constitute grounds for an impeachment motion, I think.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : And above all, as all our citizens know, if things continue like this, Kim Keon-hee will be released at the end of this month. She will walk out on her own due to the expiration of the detention period. And what has Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae done so far? On May 1 of last year, there was an incident where he attempted to strip the eligibility to run for office of our then-candidate Lee Jae-myung, who was the leading contender, which I actually view as 'Cho Hee-dae's rebellion.'

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : Even after that, and this time too, Kim Keon-hee's trial and such keep being delayed because it was suddenly referred to the en banc court.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : So impeachment is the way?

[Han Min-soo] : That is why I believe our party must swiftly gather opinions on whether to make a decision on this matter and determine whether to proceed with an impeachment motion accordingly.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : As a member of the leadership, your thoughts are important, Lawmaker Han, since you are a Supreme Council member.

[Han Min-soo] : I have my personal thoughts. I do, but in this situation, I cannot insist that it must be done solely based on my thoughts. Because I am a member of the ruling party, while I have the personal thoughts I just mentioned, there are also the party leader and other Supreme Council members. Furthermore, on such an important issue, we have not held a general meeting of lawmakers yet. Therefore, we will go through the process of gathering opinions multiple times from various stakeholders.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Rallying the traditional base is also very important for the Democratic Party, Supreme Council Member.

[Han Min-soo] : That is correct.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Are you also calculating politically that joining the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho would help win back the hearts of the traditional base?

[Han Min-soo] : Saying that impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae would bring back which base, or allow us to expand to moderates—that feels a bit calculated to me. But looking at the broader trend and what the public desires, rather than looking at it in an engineered way, would there be impeachment discussions and would the Rebuilding Korea Party, a third party, introduce an impeachment motion if Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae were an unproblematic person? I believe a majority of our citizens feel that Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae is the problem. Look at what this person has done as Chief Justice so far. Above all, he is ostensibly the head of our Supreme Court, but didn't Anchor Kim watch him appear at the parliamentary audit? For heaven's sake, shifting the blame for spending operational expenses like that onto subordinates—I consider that cowardly.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Yes.

[Han Min-soo] : That is why our citizens are well aware of this unlawful situation, the situation violating the Constitution and the law. I think many citizens may already be judging that it constitutes grounds for impeachment.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Supreme Council member, we have 30 seconds left. Regarding the Shincheonji issue, it was mentioned briefly earlier. It seems confirmed that they joined the party; how should this be settled?

[Han Min-soo] : Regarding Shincheonji, it was said at the last national convention that breaking the three-party secret alliance between anti-Lee factionalists, Shincheonji, and a third party was the essence of that convention. That means it must be clearly established whether Shincheonji members systematically joined at an organizational level and acted to influence the national convention. If this cannot be proven, I believe those who made the claims must take responsibility.

[Kim Tae-hyun] : Understood. We will wrap it up here. That was Lawmaker Han Min-soo. Thank you.

[Han Min-soo] : Thank you.

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