Can US missionary descendant reinvent ruling party?

Ihn Yo-han, chairman of the innovation committee of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), speaks to reporters during his way to the office at the party's headquarters in Seoul's Yeouido, Tuesday. Yonhap

A fresh face has emerged in Korean politics. Ihn Yo-han, a naturalized Korean physician, has come to the rescue for the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as the conservative bloc gears up for a momentous change in preparation for the general elections slated for April next year.

Ihn, also known as John Linton, was appointed as chairman of the PPP's innovation committee, Monday. He is tasked with leading the reform of the ruling party as it strives to regain voters’ trust ahead of the parliamentary elections.

Political commentators viewed that the PPP's appointment of Ihn shows its commitment to drastic change, but said it remains to be seen how big a role the physician will play.

"By appointing Ihn as the innovation committee chief, the PPP has succeeded in grabbing public attention and delivering a message that things are going to change,” said Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myongji University.

"It also sends a positive message that people of diverse backgrounds are playing a major role in Korean politics.”

Ihn is the first special naturalized Korean citizen, earning the status in 2012 thanks to his contributions to the country, such as the development of an ambulance customized for Korea in 1992.

He is currently the director at the International Health Care Center of Yonsei University Severance Hospital.

The 64-year-old doctor comes from a family with a long history of contributions to Korea.

A photo of Ihn Yo-han, center, as a child / Korea Times file

He is the great-grandson of American Southern Presbyterian missionary Eugene Bell who was dispatched to Korea in 1895. The missionary established several churches and schools in southwestern Korea. After Bell’s passing, his descendants carried on the work, teaching in schools and establishing medical centers.

In 1995, Ihn established the Eugene Bell Foundation in the United States with his brother Stephen Linton and other descendants of Bell. The foundation aims to give humanitarian aid to North Korea.

Ihn himself has visited North Korea 29 times so far to help build hospitals and supply medical aid including the donation of ambulances.

The doctor also worked as an interpreter during the Gwangju Democratization Movement, a pro-democracy uprising that occured in the southwestern city of Gwangju in 1980.

Shin spoke highly of Ihn’s family background, but said it is too early to comment on whether the naturalized Korean will succeed in his role to shake up the party, as not much is known about his influence within the party.

Political commentator Rhee Jong-hun, on the other hand, described Ihn as a "not-so-new" figure.

"He does give the impression that the PPP is trying to reform itself. However, considering that Ihn has long been trying to find his place in the conservative party, he isn't a fresh face,” he said.

Ihn was a key member of the presidential transition committee for the Park Geun-hye administration in 2013. In August this year, he gave a lecture at a forum organized by PPP lawmakers who are close to President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Recently, he has been mentioned as a potential recruit of the PPP for next year’s parliamentary elections, with rumors that he may run for a constituency in western Seoul's Seodaemun District, where the hospital where he works is located.

Rhee described Ihn as a conservative figure from the country's southwestern region encompassing Gwangju, South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province ― a traditional stonghold of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.

Ihn Yo-han, director at the International Health Care Center of Yonsei University Severance Hospital, smiles during an interview with The Korea Times, May 22, 2007. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Ihn has been stressing his strong connection to the region. He was born in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, and raised in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. In 2006, he published a biography called "My hometown is Jeolla Province, My Soul is Korean," and often introduces himself as "a country boy from Jeolla” in media interviews.

The ruling party's unusual pick of its innovation committee leader shows its desperation to regain voters’ trust, Rhee said.

Upon being appointed as chairman of the innovation committee, Ihn said “everything should change” under his leadership. He is set to announce the list of members of the innovation committee later this week.

Ihn expressed hopes for more women to be included in his team. He also hinted at the possibility to recruit PPP lawmakers who have been critical of Yoon, in what is viewed as a move to embrace diverse voices within the party.