Blue House to Review Opposition to Inyo Han's Red Cross Chair Approval

The Blue House announced on August 26 that it will review the opposition raised by Kim Min-seok, the leader of the Democratic Party, against the approval of Inyo Han, a former lawmaker from the People Power Party, as the chair of the Korean Red Cross.

In a media statement, the Blue House said, "Kim's proposal has been conveyed to the Blue House, and we plan to review it." Although Inyo was elected as chair by the Korean Red Cross Central Committee, he has not yet assumed office as he has not received approval from President Lee Jae-myung.

With the Blue House officially stating it will consider the ruling party leader's opposition, the likelihood of Inyo's approval being postponed or re-evaluated has increased. However, the Blue House did not provide specific details regarding the approval decision or timeline.

After a dinner with President Lee and the new leadership of the Democratic Party the previous day, Kim met separately with the president to express his opinion that it would be better not to approve Inyo as chair of the Red Cross.

Park Sung-jun, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, told reporters after a Supreme Council meeting in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, that "after the dinner meeting, Kim had a separate discussion with President Lee, where he conveyed that, based on feedback from within and outside the party, it would be better not to appoint In as chair."

Criticism has emerged from both inside and outside the Democratic Party regarding Inyo's past actions during the martial law and impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, suggesting he may not be suitable for the role of Red Cross chair, which requires a commitment to humanitarianism and political neutrality.

Inyo did not participate in the vote on the resolution to lift the martial law in December 2024 and opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon.

Healthcare unions and civic groups have also opposed Inyo's approval, citing his past advocacy for the expansion of private health insurance and the introduction of for-profit hospitals.

Inyo was elected as the 32nd chair of the Korean Red Cross on June 22 after a decision by the Central Committee. The National Assembly's Public Official Ethics Committee determined on August 24 that Inyo's employment as chair of the Red Cross was "possible."

According to the Korean Red Cross Organization Act, a chair elected by the Central Committee must receive approval from the president, who serves as the honorary chair, before taking office. Inyo has only the final approval process from President Lee remaining after passing the ethics committee review.