Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Ahn stumps for Moon in Busan
Moon Jae-in, presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic United Party, raises fist as Ahn Cheol-soo, the former independent candidate who endorses him, looks on during a campaign stop at a department store in Busan, Friday. / Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo showed up together in the southeastern port city of Busan to court voters Friday, a day after the software millionaire promised to back the Democratic United Party’s (DUP) candidate.
Cheering fans and supporters in the ruling Saenuri Party’s home turf gathered there to see the two, stirring speculation whether the united liberal front could turn the city into an election battleground.
Galvanized by Ahn’s pledge of his full-fledged support, Moon was seeking fresh momentum in the second largest city.
Moon canvassed the city for votes after finishing his campaign schedule on Jeju Island from 3 p.m. and Ahn joined Moon in downtown Busan to provide support for him in a collective campaign format.
“I’m so glad to be here. I came here with Ahn. We agreed to work closely together for the victory and even after the election for political reform,” Moon said. “Please give him a big hand for completing candidacy unification.”
“I know how much people want to see changes in politics. I will try my best to achieve the goal,” Ahn said.
The two liberals’ simultaneous appearances in the city will likely create synergy to shore up Moon’s support base there, as many experts say the former independent candidate’s support will eventually boost the DUP candidate’s ratings by about 3 percentage points.
Ahn was born in Busan while Moon’s hometown is nearby Goeju; Busan has also been Moon’s political home turf.
The latest Realmeter poll released Wednesday shows the ruling Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun-hye with 49.5 percent, retaining her lead over Moon with 45.3 percent, thanks to her edge in Seoul and the metropolitan area.
Though the gap has narrowed from 5 percent to 4.2 percent compared with the previous poll, it remains to be seen whether the boost from the candidate-turned-kingmaker’s campaign will be enough to shift the balance in Moon’s favor with the election only 11 days away.
Unlike Moon’s surrogates, who are buoyed by Ahn’s proactive support, Cho Yong-kyung, an ex-senior adviser to Ahn, and some of the former independent contender’s backers withdrew their support from “Ahn’s political choice.”
“We joined the Ahn camp with a belief that he would put an end to the era of political division and hatred and achieve unification of the people. We believed his word but he forsook us,” Cho said Friday. “We are deeply concerned about his political career as he has pledged his full support for Moon, who shares few political viewpoints with Ahn. With that said, we are very sorry to say we won’t be with him”
Ahn’s support is likely to at least bring the DUP candidate back to swing voters’ attention, igniting hope in his flagging campaign at a critical time, and adding unpredictability to the race.