Software entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo has yet to declare his bid to compete in December's presidential race, but his popularity as a potential opposition candidate has prompted the media to raise questions about his personal integrity.
The latest test came when a local monthly news magazine accused the university professor of lying on a popular TV show in 2009, during which he made a statement that could be easily understood as Ahn never having visited a hostess bar. The publication quoted an unidentified former senior government official who claimed the 50-year-old professor had in fact made such a visit in the past.
"I don't know what they intended by writing the article, but it's not even worth responding to," an aide said on condition of anonymity.
Despite such views, the report alleging Ahn's visit has been one of the most viewed articles in the country, particularly on the Internet.
Besides the latest incident, Ahn has drawn fire for signing a petition in 2003 that called for lenient treatment of SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won, who was sentenced to three years in prison for accounting fraud and illegal stock trading.
Following that revelation, Ahn admitted he had made a mistake at the time.
He also released a statement last week in response to another media report explaining why his family members served on the board and as auditor of his anti-virus software firm AhnLab. In a book published some years ago, he pointedly said he had never hired a family member because it could affect the fair running of his company.
The negative publicity surrounding Ahn reflects to some extent his popularity and potential to pose a serious challenge to current presidential contenders. Detractors have persistently tried to play down his capabilities by citing his inexperience in politics and his apparent lack of concrete policies to back up his vision for the country.
Shin Yul, a professor of politics at Seoul's Myongji University said Ahn is partly to blame for the spate of allegations against him.
"Ahn has given people the impression that he is clean, while the existing political establishment is dirty," Shin said. "That is why when they discover a black speck on Ahn, the public focuses it on it more."
Shin said the hostess bar issue is getting such attention for the same reason and Ahn should open up more and expose his "bare face" to the public.
Ahn's spokesperson Yoo Min-young said the professor plans to explain everything that needs clarifying and to listen carefully to the public's views in the future.
A former medical doctor and founder of AhnLab, Ahn currently serves as dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University. He has a strong following especially among young Koreans, due largely to his clean and upright image.
Local pollsters said while Ahn has no political background, he is the only person at present who has been able to compete neck-and-neck with established leaders like Saenuri's presidential candidate Park Geun-hye.
In a survey of 1,500 people conducted on Monday and Tuesday, Park got an approval rating of 48.4 percent against Ahn's 45.8 percent, according to polling agency Realmeter. It is the first time Park has beat Ahn in the daily polls since Aug. 13.(Yonhap)