Ahn Cheol-soo fires shot at Yoon Suk-yeol

By Kang Seung-woo

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, denounced Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Tuesday, calling him an unprepared candidate who has been benefiting from the Moon Jae-in administration's incompetence in state affairs.

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

The former software tycoon also said it was premature to say whether the approval ratings will stay unchanged until election day, adding that the real trend could begin after the Lunar New Year long weekend.

"When it comes to how voters cast their votes in the election, it is important that they consider whether a candidate can surely deliver on their support for a change of government," Ahn said during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul.

"An unprepared change of government could lead the nation to experience the same failures of previous unsuccessful administrations."

Ahn added, "A self-righteous and inexperienced candidate cannot hold out against a parliamentary majority of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)."

Although Ahn, a former two-term lawmaker, did not specify whom he was referring to, he was largely believed to have been taking a shot at Yoon, a career prosecutor who has risen to become the PPP candidate after he impressed the public with his defiance of the DPK and the Moon administration, while he was the prosecutor-general.

While Yoon was caught up in party infighting earlier this month, Ahn saw his approval ratings reach double digits in many public surveys, some of which found that he was a better fit as a unified opposition candidate than Yoon, as he was projected to have the best chances at defeating Lee Jae-myung, the DPK candidate.

However, with Yoon regrouping his election committee, Ahn's approval ratings have been stagnant in the mid-10 percent range.

According to the Realmeter survey commissioned by OhMyNews and conducted on 3,046 adults from Jan. 16 to 21, Ahn lost 2.9 percentage points to post 10 percent, marking his first decline in six weeks. The poll also found that Yoon led Lee by 5.2 percentage points, at 42 percent to 36.8 percent. The margin of error for the poll is plus and minus 3.1 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level.

Ahn, who finished third in the 2017 presidential election after gaining a 21.4 percent support rate, did not place much significance on the current poll results.

"I am working hard to meet voters and show properly who I am. Voters know exactly who I am, so it is not the right time to evaluate whether the approval rating is on an upward trend or stalled," Ahn said.

"If you wait another for one week or two, you will probably be able to analyze the overall trend after the Lunar New Year. Until the Lunar New Year holiday, I will diligently explain to voters my thoughts and what kind of person I am."

With Ahn's emergence, there have been talks about fielding a unified candidate for the opposition bloc to increase the chances of a convincing victory.

However, Ahn, who has yielded his candidacy in several past elections, including the 2012 presidential race, flatly dismissed the idea.

In his radio interview ahead of the press conference, Ahn said he was not considering a merger with Yoon at all.

"Should I represent the opposition bloc in the presidential election, I would be able to defeat the DPK candidate easily, as supporters of the ruling party would cast their ballots for me," Ahn said.

In comparison with Yoon, Ahn said he has never been caught up in scandals, an indirect criticism of allegations surrounding Yoon's wife, who is under fire for allegedly falsifying or embellishing her credentials on resumes she sent to two local universities in 2007 and 2013 to apply for teaching positions.

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