By Kim Jung-yoon
Media speculation has failed to find his real intention; even he seems not to know what he wants.
But now, the father of Ahn Cheol-soo has talked more specifically than his son has ever done about what he wants to do with the political capital that could pit him against Park Geun-hye, the strongest-yet candidate for the Dec. 19 presidential election.
In an interview with Kookje Daily of Busan, published Monday, Ahn Young-mo said he expects his son to run on an independent ticket, if he decides to stand in the Dec. 19 presidential election.
“Considering my son’s personality, I would say he would neither join the existing parties such as the Democratic United Party nor participate in primaries to be its standard bearer,” the senior Ahn said.
The father revealed his son’s deep-rooted distrust over political parties, saying that joining political parties as a presidential hopeful means to incur debt to those who contribute in their king-making roles. He said it can possibly lead to corruption and bring disappointment to the people.
“If he decides to run in the race, he will run on his own, independent of political parties,” the 81-year-old told the newspaper.
Ahn said he was not certain whether his son would run for the presidency, but noted he could emerge as a strong rival candidate to Park, the ruling Saenuri Party leader .
“If my son declares his presidential bid, I think it will create another huge wave. The presidential election will narrow down to a one-on-one competition between Park and Ahn,” he said.
Regarding Ahn Cheol-soo’s approval rating, he said it was “unprecedented” that more than 50 percent of people supported a single presidential contender in opinion polls.
Ahn Cheol-soo’s commentary on politics over the past year has created a guessing game over whether he will run for president.
“My son used to say he wants to be remembered after he is gone. But he does not have the greed for money or power. He refused offers to become a proportional representation lawmaker from both ruling and opposition parties, as well as refusing to run in the Seoul mayoral election,” said the older Ahn, stressing that his son’s intentions have not been compromised.
The father commented on other presidential contenders in the opposition camp including South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Doo-kwan, DUP party advisor Sohn Hak-kyu, and Rep. Moon Jae-in. He said Sohn lost his popularity while moving from one party to another and Kim has low recognition among voters.