Naturalized Korean to lead reforms at ruling party
Ihn Yo-han, left, new head of the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) innovation committee, shakes hands with Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the PPP chairman, ahead of their talks at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Ihn Yo-han, a naturalized Korean physician with four generations of close ties to the country, will lead the effort to reform the governing party, ahead of what is expected to be a defining election for President Yoon Suk Yeol early next year.
Ihn, who acquired Korean citizenship in 2012 in recognition of developing the first Korea-made ambulance among other contributions, was appointed on Monday as the chairman of the ruling People Power Party’s (PPP) innovation committee.
The decision comes after the PPP suffered a crushing defeat in a by-election for the chief of Seoul's Gangseo District on Oct. 11. A double-digit loss by Kim Tae-woo, its candidate, immediately raised questions over the leadership of Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the party chairman, and concerns over the general election scheduled to be held next April 10.
After approving the decision at a Supreme Council meeting, the PPP leader promised to give Ihn “full powers” needed for a successful reform. He said Ihn is the right person to unite not just the embattled party, but also the politically divided nation, given the path he has taken.
“The committee will have full powers to make independent decisions over the composition and specifics of its work, including setting an agenda and deadline for activities,” Kim said.
“We should all join the sincere efforts to achieve sweeping changes by cutting out things that are out of touch with public sentiment instead of just trying to change clothes.”
Speaking to reporters at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Ihn pledged to do just that.
“I do not know how much power I would be able to exercise yet, but many (leading figures) in the PPP should step down. There is no change without sacrifice,” he said. “I’m considering very qualified people (as replacements). I personally hope there would be more women.”
Citing a popular remark by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, Ihn expressed his strong will for reform, saying, “I believe that everything except for a wife and children should be changed."
He also called for the party to unite, saying members should not hate one another when they disagree, in remarks apparently aimed at the intensifying factional infighting between Yoon's critics and loyalists within the PPP.
Ihn Yo-han, new head of the ruling People Power Party's innovation committee, speaks to reporters near the party's headquarters on Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Newsis
Introducing himself as a person who has a special affection for the southwestern Jeolla region, where he was born and raised, Ihn said he would focus on improving a system to better serve the interests of all Koreans rather than those of the party.
Ihn, who likes to describe himself as “a hillbilly from Jeolla,” the liberal stronghold, has earned respect from both the right and left for his work and community service over the decades.
After the Gwangju Democratic Uprising broke out in May 1980, Ihn visited the city where he volunteered as an interpreter for foreign journalists, an activity that later put him under observation during the Chun Doo-hwan administration.
Ihn has long said he has great respect for former President Kim Dae-jung, a revered figure among liberals, for his efforts to unite the country despite being persecuted as a prominent democracy activist under decades of military dictatorship.
As a doctor, Ihn visited North Korea 29 times to help fight tuberculosis there when the inter-Korean relationship was less confrontational.
His great-grandfather, Eugene Bell, came to Korea as a Christian missionary and established many churches and schools. His love and support for the Korean people were upheld by his son, Ihn’s grandfather, William Linton, who worked for their rights during Japan’s colonial era. Ihn’s father, Hugh Linton, also carried on his legacy, mostly in the Jeolla region, and served in the Korean War as a U.S. Navy officer.
“Given his and his family’s reputation built on many meaningful contributions to our society, especially in the Jeolla region, it would be difficult for the opposition party to attack him,” Cho Jin-man, a politics professor at Duksung Women’s University, told The Korea Times.
“In other words, he seems to be the right messenger to lead the reform. But it remains to be seen whether he would actually be given all the powers required to craft the right messages and make the necessary changes as promised.”