The chief of the ruling Saenuri Party on Sunday pressed Ahn Cheol-soo, a popular professor at the center of public speculation that he may run in December's presidential election, to make a quick decision on entering the race.
Rep. Hwang Woo-yeo, who was elected as the party's chairman last week, also advised that Ahn should withdraw "ambiguity" if he wants to become a politician.
"Now, there is little time left for the presidential election and he should make a quick decision," Hwang told a local TV network, Channel A, when asked about Ahn.
"The beginning of politics is to withdraw ambiguity and show a firm attitude," said Hwang, a close confidant of Park Geun-hye, widely considered the No. 1 presidential hopeful in the ruling party and daughter of former president Park Chung-hee.
The political influence of Ahn, the 50-year-old founder of Korea's largest anti-virus software firm AhnLab, was amply proven in the Seoul mayoral election last October. In the hotly contested election, Ahn merely voiced support for an anti-government independent candidate, but that was enough to help get him elected.
As a result, which candidate Ahn would support if he opts not to run remains a hot topic in South Korea's political circle as the soft-spoken professor closely trails Park in opinion polls.
Ahn, who has no experience in politics, is widely popular, especially among young Koreans, due largely to his clean and upright image. He is now dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University.
Analysts have said that Ahn's popularity illustrates the distrust South Koreans have in existing politicians and political parties, which have often come under fire for engaging in factional or partisan fighting without caring for ordinary people.
The public sees Ahn as a fresh alternative to the current political establishment, they said.
Meanwhile, an aide to Ahn said last week that Ahn will resume a public lecture series for college students on May 30 at a university in the southern port city of Busan, where he was born. It will be his first public lecture in two months. (Yonhap)
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