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| Ahn Cheol-soo, the newly-elected chairman of the People's Party, writes in a visitors' book after arriving at Seoul National Cemetery to pay his respects to deceased national leaders, Monday. He wrote, "I will go my way for political reform and for the future of the Republic of Korea." / Yonhap |
By Kim Hyo-jin
Ahn Cheol-soo, the newly-elected chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, vowed Monday that he will build a strong opposition party that plays an active role in checks and balances against the Moon Jae-in government.
"The People's Party should be an opposition party that strongly stands up to the government when it divides the people and goes against the national interest," Ahn said during the first party meeting with new Supreme Council members. "We will criticize the government based on clear principles and with specific alternatives."
Ahn kicked off his official duties as party leader by visiting the National Cemetery earlier in the day.
His political comeback comes only 110 days after he suffered a humiliating defeat in the May 9 presidential election as the candidate of the People's Party.
On the visit to the cemetery, Ahn paid tribute at the gravesites of four conservative and liberal presidents, Kim Dae-jung, Syngman Rhee, Kim Young-sam, and Park Chung-hee.
He laid wreaths at the gravesites after he launched a presidential bid in 2012 and in April this year. But it was the first time for the politician to visit the conservative Presidents' gravesites as the leader of a party. The move was construed as his intention of promoting a centrist position.
On his first day, Ahn stressed that he will push for reform of the party, mindful of his foremost task of resuscitating the party before the local elections slated for June next year.
His party has suffered a dismal support rate since it was found out in June that a party member fabricated a tip-off used to smear then ruling party candidate Moon Jae-in's son during the presidential campaign.
"I will show the public our reformative move by launching a panel playing a similar role to the preparatory committee for the establishment of a party," he said.
"I will establish more communication platforms in the party so the leaders can actively reflect opinions of rank-and-file members."
He reiterated his vision to stabilize the multiparty system, saying, "I will channel the party's focus into revising the current electoral system and the Constitution in a way to reduce presidential power, and strengthen local governments and the people's basic rights."
Later in the day, he met Jun Byung-hun, chief presidential secretary for political affairs, and Bae Jae-jung, chief secretary for the Prime Minister, who visited Ahn to congratulate him on his inauguration.
Ahn told Jun, "I will actively cooperate if Moon pushes for policies benefiting the national interest and the people's livelihood. I hope Jun will engage in talks with opposition parties more than with the ruling party," and told Bae, "I will show what cooperative politics are."
The software mogul-turned-politician came back to the party's driver's seat Sunday with the majority of votes in the leadership election, 14 months after he quit the post to take responsibility for a scandal in June 2016, where party members were accused of taking money from public relations firms during the general election.
He launched his leadership bid in early August, breaking a three months-long silence after the crushing defeat in the presidential poll, appealing for a sense of urgency to prop up the embattled party amid plummeting public support.
Ahn's priority is to glue the divided party together. People's Party lawmakers whose constituencies are in the Jeolla provinces and those who follow the legacy of the late-President Kim Dae-jung had opposed Ahn's candidacy, calling for him to keep a low profile.
"Our competitors are outside the party. I will bring one by one to my side by apologizing if needed and doing my utmost for the party," he stressed in an apparent bid to ease their dubious views on his leadership.
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