Han Duck-soo is actually from the Honam area and was paying his respects to the dead from the 1980 Gwangju Uprising Incident when he was assaulted by protesters:
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited a national cemetery honoring victims of a 1980 pro-democracy uprising Friday as the first stop of his election campaign for the June election but was met with protests.
Han traveled to the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju, 357 kilometers south of Seoul, hours after formally announcing his bid for the June 3 election. Upon arrival, he was confronted by demonstrators expressing opposition to his presence.
On Thursday, Han resigned from his roles as acting president and prime minister, positions he had held following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December.
As Han attempted to enter the cemetery, a participant in the rally struck him on the head with a protest placard, prompting immediate intervention by security personnel. Han reportedly did not sustain serious injuries.
Facing strong opposition and a standoff that lasted approximately 20 minutes, Han ultimately paid his respects with a silent tribute at the cemetery’s entrance before leaving the site.
You can read more at the link, but the fact the Korean left sent protesters after Han like this makes me think they are concerned he is a real threat to Lee Jae-myung winning the upcoming Presidential election.
If Han Duck-soo wins the Presidency what a journey he would have had. He served as the Prime Minister for both liberal and conservative governments. He then became acting President when Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached to just get impeached himself. He was then reinstated by the Constitutional Court as acting President and now he is resigning to run for President:
Acting President Han Duck-soo resigned Thursday, indicating he would run for the June 3 presidential election.
Han announced his decision in an address to the nation, ending weeks of speculation over whether he would enter the election triggered by the impeachment of his former boss — former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“Thinking of the weight of the responsibility I carry at this grave time, after thinking long and carefully about whether such a decision is in fact right and inevitable, I decided that if this is the only way, I must take it,” he said from the government complex in Seoul.
I hope it doesn’t happen, but at this point I would be shocked if violence of some kind does not happen after the impeachment decision. I think the violence will be less if Yoon is impeached and greater if he is retained:
Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday urged politicians to avoid making divisive remarks that could lead to violence on Friday, when the Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver its ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
Han’s remark comes amid a deepening partisan rift observed in the National Assembly, coupled with the political turmoil that has gripped the nation since Yoon’s martial law decree in December.
“Now is a time to prioritize the stability and survival of our community over political gain,” Han said during a meeting attended by the heads of the justice, science, defense and interior ministries. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also attended the meeting, as did the chiefs of police and firefighting agencies.
“I earnestly plead with you to refrain from remarks that can provoke or incite illegal protests or violence. Please show a responsible attitude that contributes to social cohesion rather than (prompting) division and conflict,” he added.
Concerns have mounted over the possibility of violence and clashes on Friday between pro- and anti-Yoon protesters as well as conflict between demonstrators and the police.
Acting President Han back to work Acting President Han Duck-soo, who also serves as prime minister, attends a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the government complex in Seoul on March 24, 2025, about measures to deal with wildfires in the country’s southeastern region. The meeting followed the Constitutional Court’s dismissal of his impeachment that reinstated him as acting president in the ongoing turmoil over suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law. (Yonhap)
The impeachment charges against Han have been dropped which has caused him to be reinstated as the interim President:
The Constitutional Court dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday, reinstating him as acting president in the ongoing turmoil over suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law.
Han’s impeachment was dismissed in a 5-1 vote by the court’s eight justices. Two justices voted to reject the impeachment motion entirely.
The ruling came three months after the National Assembly impeached the prime minister and then acting president over his alleged role in Yoon’s Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, among other reasons.
Four of the five justices who voted to dismiss Han’s impeachment acknowledged there were violations of the Constitution and the law in his decision to defer the appointment of additional justices to the court, but noted it did not justify his removal from office.
As the only justice to uphold the impeachment, however, Justice Chung Kye-sun said the violations were “serious” enough to warrant his dismissal.
You can read more at the link, but I think people should not read too much into this dismissal as it relates to impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol. None of the justices believed that Han had anything to do with the martial law declaration:
The six justices who voted to either dismiss or uphold the impeachment said there was no evidence to back the National Assembly’s accusations that Han took proactive action to give legitimacy to Yoon’s martial law bid, such as by convening a Cabinet meeting ahead of its declaration.
For Yoon to get his charges dismissed he needed to convince the judges that his martial law declaration did not violate the ROK constitution and laws which is very different charges than what Han was facing. With Han impeachment decision now completed it will be interesting to see if the Constitutional Court releases their decision on Yoon at the end of the week.
South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo made sure to call President Biden over the weekend and assure him everything is fine in Korea:
Acting President Han Duck-soo held phone talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday and vowed to maintain and develop the two countries’ alliance, his office said.
Han held the 16-minute phone conversation with Biden after President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached by the National Assembly on Saturday over his short-lived imposition of martial law on Dec. 3.
“Our government will carry out our diplomatic and security policies without disruption and work to ensure that the South Korea-U.S. alliance continues to be maintained and developed without wavering,” he said, according to his office.
