Ahn Cheol-soo rejects unified candidacy, vows to finish race

Ahn Cheol-soo, right, the presidential candidate of the minor opposition People's Party, jogs with his wife Seoul National University professor Kim Mi-kyung and daughter Ahn Surl-hee along Jungnang Stream in northeastern Seoul, Saturday. It was Ahn's last day of campaigning with all of his family members before his daughter Surl-hee returned to the U.S., where she is a postdoctoral scholar in biochemistry. Yonhap

PPP divided over fielding unified candidacy

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate the minor opposition People's Party, made clear that he will be in the presidential race all the way to the end, denying speculation that he would consider fielding a unified candidacy with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

In an MBN television show Sunday, Ahn said voters will chose the candidate who is the most qualified on the day of the election. When asked about a unified candidacy, he said his goal is not just finishing the race but winning it.

With his remarks, he flatly denied the rumor about a unified candidacy with the PPP, which emerged again on Sunday after a PPP member floated the possibility.

Later in the day, Ahn told reporters that he would no longer mention fielding a unified candidacy, noting that there is no consensus within the PPP on doing so.

“What am I supposed to say when PPP people out there are fighting each other without having a consensus on the issue,” he said.

About a month ahead of the election, Ahn emphasized the need for a moral president to run the country clean-handed.

"People say the presidential election is a competition among different camps, but the person who becomes president influences the destiny of the country," he said.

Ahn, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur who founded computer security company AhnLab, entered politics in the early 2010s.

In 2012, he ran for the presidential election, but merged with Moon Jae-in, then Democratic United Party presidential candidate who lost to Park Geun-hye. He ran for the presidential election in 2017, but came in third. In 2021, Ahn registered as a candidate for the Seoul mayoral by-election, but dropped out of the race and endorsed the unified opposition camp, which won.

Since Ahn has a history of mergers in elections, the main opposition PPP expects to absorb Ahn's supporters through a unified opposition candidacy in this neck-and-neck race.

Fielding a unified candidacy emerged again in the PPP on Sunday, when the subject was broached by Won Hee-ryong, former Jeju governor who is now in charge of the policy committee of Yoon's camp.

In a media interview, he said “the time has come.”

“If a unified candidate is successfully fielded, the current close race will take a turn in favor of our candidate. The time has come and we need to do it before the presidential candidates register with the National Election Commission,” he said.

Some other PPP members voiced their agreement. But there are skeptics from within.

Rep. Kwon Young-se, a four-term lawmaker who is currently overseeing campaign affairs for Yoon's camp, spoke his outright opposition to the idea. In a written statement released on Sunday, he said what's said in the media about the unified candidacy comes from certain people's personal opinions, and there was no consensus on the issue within the party.

PPP leader Lee Jun-seok is another vocal critic about fielding a unified candidate between the PPP and the People's Party. He said he was tired of such rumors and speculations.

Ahn drew the line over the joint government plan, saying he is not considering the option as of now. He said he would form a unified cabinet, appointing people from a larger pool, instead of from a certain party.

Meanwhile, ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also remained open for merging election campaigns with Ahn. DPK election committee chief Woo Sang-ho said Sunday that the DPK is open to the possibility.