By Jun Ji-hye
A group of senior opposition public figures Thursday called on software entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo to clarify his position on the upcoming presidential election at the earliest date possible.
They said in a statement issued after a meeting in the National Assembly building in Yeoido, Seoul, that Ahn needs to be committed to the opposition parties to secure a victory in the presidential poll scheduled for December.
Among the group members are Seoul National University emeritus Professor Paik Nak-chung and Father Ham Se-woong,
“We are not willing to press him to declare a bid as soon as possible but even before any official announcement, he needs to specify his ideas on how to cooperate with other opposition members,” they said.
“Even if he does not become the opposition’s candidate, he still needs to help us by making the most use of his popularity.”
The group views Ahn’s popularity as evidence of the public seeking a new political era because of their deepening distrust of politicians following incidents such as voting-rigging scandals that have caused a crisis within party politics.
Ahn is regarded as a potential opposition candidate but has yet to declare his bid for the presidential race. Now with additional pressure following the opposition group’s appeal for help, all eyes look to Ahn to see if he will reach a decision.