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Sun, February 5, 2023 | 16:11
-------------------------
People's Party falls into crisis as Ahn resigns
'복심'에 발등 찍힌 안철수…결국 용인술 실패
Posted : 2016-06-29 17:18
Updated : 2016-06-29 23:55
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By Kim Hyo-jin

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-leader of the People's Party, keeps his eyes closed during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday./ Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, co-leader of the People's Party, keeps his eyes closed during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday.
/ Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon
The co-leaders of the minor opposition People's Party ― Reps. Ahn Cheol-soo and Chun Jung-bae ― resigned, Wednesday, over a high-profile corruption scandal involving three party members.

Their surprise resignations, announced at a party meeting to discuss the fate of the three, came as public confidence in the center-left party has been rapidly eroding since the scandal was made public.

The scandal is the biggest challenge yet for Ahn, a presidential hopeful, since the party founded by him in January showed a surprising performance in the April 13 general election, winning 38 of 300 seats up for grabs.

The party said later that party floor leader Rep. Park Jie-won will act as interim head until a new leader is elected at a party caucus, scheduled for February next year.

"Politics is about taking responsibility. I believe I should take all political responsibility for the case," Ahn told reporters after the meeting at the National Assembly.

The party has been reeling from the scandal since early June when the National Election Commission (NEC) accused the three ― Reps. Park Sun-sook and Kim Su-min, and party official Wang Ju-hyeon ― of accepting kickbacks from the party's PR agencies in the lead-up to the April 13 general election.


Rep. Ahn starts work as 'ordinary' Assemblyman
Rep. Ahn starts work as 'ordinary' Assemblyman
2016-06-30 17:15  |  National

Ahn already expressed his intention to step down at a party meeting Tuesday when Wang was arrested on charges of violating the Political Fund Law, according to Rep. Park Jie-won.

Other party members asked him not to do so, but Ahn rejected their appeal, Park said.

"Ahn has taken a stringent stance over the scandal, demanding their expulsion from the party and offering his resignation," Park said during a press briefing. "Despite pleas from senior party members, Ahn remained resolute, and Chun, who empathized with Ahn on the need to take responsibility for the scandal, followed suit."

The move was viewed as Ahn seeking a turnaround amid deepening public criticism.

The scandal has been a major setback for the leader, who launched a third party with the slogan of "new politics," differentiating itself from existing politicians. It has also cast a cloud over Ahn's political future as a potential presidential contender.

In the face of increasing public criticism, the party decided Tuesday to suspend the membership of the three if they are prosecuted.

But critics still argued that the party leadership should be held accountable for mismanaging the campaign process and failing to adequately respond to the scandal.

Wang, the party's ex-deputy secretary-general, is accused of demanding a total of 216 million won ($181,000) as "rebates" from two advertising companies during the election campaign early this year, and of getting reimbursed more money than the party spent from the NEC by reporting them as election expenses.

Rep. Park Sun-sook, the party's former secretary-general, is suspected of being involved in her deputy's wrongdoing. Rep. Kim, then head of the publicity unit for the party's election campaign, allegedly signed a bogus contract and received the rebates through bank accounts of her design company, Brand Hotel.

They are being questioned by the prosecution on allegations that they broke the Political Fund Law.





'복심'에 발등 찍힌 안철수…결국 용인술 실패

최측근 박선숙 연루 사건임에도 '우왕좌왕' 대응
초기 대응 과정 측근그룹 '보좌 실패' 내부 비판도

국민의당 안철수 상임공동대표가 4·13 총선 홍보비 리베이트 파동에 대한 책임을 지고 29일 결국 사퇴를 선택했다.

총선 성공을 발판으로 대권 가도를 내달리려던 안 대표를 궁지에 빠트리고 끝내 사퇴까지 몰고 간 배경에 다른 사람도 아닌 '측근 중 측근'인 박선숙 의원이 있다는 점이 그에겐 더욱 뼈아픈 부분으로 보인다.

박 의원은 안 대표가 처음 정치에 투신한 지난 2012년 당시 민주통합당을 탈당해 대선후보 캠프의 공동 선대본부장을 맡았다. 이 과정에서 문재인 후보와의 단일화 협상을 이끄는 등 안 대표의 '핵심 측근'으로 자리 잡았다.

대선 이후 한동안 휴식기를 가지다가 올해 초 안 대표의 창당 시점에 맞춰 정치 일선에 복귀, 사무총장으로서 선거 실무를 진두지휘하며 예상을 뛰어넘는 총선 승리에 기여했다.

그러나 결과적으로 선거 실무를 다루는 과정에서 박 의원은 치명적인 오점을 남겼고, 이는 당 대표의 사퇴라는 거대한 후폭풍을 몰고 온 셈이 됐다.

현재 당내에서 안 대표의 또 다른 '복심(腹心)'이자 브레인으로 불리는 이태규 의원도 이번 사태의 영향권에 들 것으로 보인다.

박 의원과의 당내 알력설의 상대로 자주 오르내렸던 이 의원도 이번 총선 홍보비 파동에 따른 안 대표 사퇴에 대한 책임론에서 자유롭기 어려울 것이란 지적이다.

이밖에도 안 대표의 측근 관리에 대한 지적은 당 안팎 여기저기서 나온다. '총체적 실패'로 평가되는 이번 사건에 대한 초기 대응을 보면 이런 점이 여실히 드러난다는 것이다.

이번 리베이트 의혹에 대한 안 대표의 첫 공식 반응은 '사실이 아닌 것으로 보고 받았다'였다.

그러나 이후 검찰이 적용하는 혐의가 점점 구체적으로 드러나는 가운데 결정적으로 왕주현 사무부총장이 구속까지 된 점을 보면 안 대표에게 보고와 조언을 하는 측근 그룹이 보좌에 실패했다는 지적이 나온다.

안 대표는 검찰 수사가 진행되는 과정에서 이날 대표직 사퇴 기자회견까지 포함해 무려 다섯 차례 대국민사과를 해야 했다.

측근 인사가 연루된 사건임에도 전체적인 상황을 조기에 파악해 선제적으로 대응하지 못한 채 수세에 몰려 사과발언을 거푸하는 사태를 초래한 것이다.

이번 사태를 차치하고서라도 안 대표는 정치 입문 이후 '찾아오는 사람도 많지만 떠나가는 사람 또한 많다'는 평가가 끊이지 않았다.

최장집 고려대 명예교수는 지난 2013년 당시 안 대표의 싱크탱크였던 '정책네트워크 내일'의 이사장으로 영입됐지만 얼마 지나지 않아 돌연 이사장직에서 사퇴하며 두 사람 사이의 불화설이 세간에 떠돌았다.

'안철수의 멘토'로 불리며 새정치추진위원회에 동참했던 윤여준 전 환경부 장관도 올해초 국민의당 창당준비위원회 공동위원장까지 맡았지만 창당 직후 당을 떠나며 관계가 소원해졌다.

2012년 대선캠프 시절 원년멤버이자 측근으로 꼽히던 금태섭 의원도 새정치민주연합 시절인 지난 2014년 7·30 재·보궐 선거에서 낙천한 이후 안 대표와 멀어진 사이가 됐다.

원조 '안철수맨'으로 불렸던 송호창 전 의원도 올해 총선을 앞두고 더불어민주당 잔류를 선택하며 안 대표와 다른 길을 걷고 있다. (연합뉴스)
Emailhyojinkim@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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