Ahn Cheol-soo clinches party nomination

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, presidential candidate of the minor liberal People's Party, waves to supporters, Tuesday, after giving an acceptance speech at the Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon. / Yonhap

By Kim Rahn, Choi Ha-young

DAEJEON ― Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo grabbed the presidential ticket of the minor liberal People's Party for the May 9 election, Tuesday, becoming a serious rival to the presidential frontrunner, Moon Jae-in of the largest Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

In on-site votes at seven regional primaries and a public opinion survey, the entrepreneur-turned-politician swept the poll with support of 75.01 percent, the party said after the last primary at Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon.

Former Gyeonggi Province Governor Sohn Hak-kyu came in a distant second with 18.07 percent, followed by National Assembly deputy speaker Park Joo-sun with 6.92 percent.

"I firmly vow to win the presidential election," the nominee said in an acceptance speech, in a thick and determined voice. "Ahn's era has arrived. Moon's era has gone. The time of integration is looming, as the time of hegemony is falling," he said amid cheers.

He pledged to end national division and factionalism, which he said has prevented change in the country. "I will use the power of the people to make an extraordinary country. I will devote myself to the people."

The 55-year-old, who went from doctor to IT expert and then a politician, pledged to create future-oriented jobs and assist startups.

The victory gave Ahn a second chance to run for the presidency following his first challenge in 2012. He dropped out of that race, endorsing Moon, then the odds-on favorite of the liberal bloc, as a unified candidate. However, the deal failed to beat then-conservative candidate Park Geun-hye and Ahn broke with Moon after a factional dispute.

"Compared to 2012, I have become a million-fold stronger," he said. "I will build a country where a self-made man succeeds, instead of those relying on inheritances," Ahn said, implicitly targeting Moon whose political career started as a chief aide of former President Roh Moo-hyun.

With Ahn's nomination, all of five major parliamentary parties have finished selecting their candidates.

Reasons for Ahn's surging popularity

Ahn's popularity has increased throughout the weeks-long primary race in opinion polls: about two weeks ago, his support was at around 10 percent, but it now hovers between 18 and 22 percent.

In one poll released Monday, Ahn garnered 43.6 percent against Moon's 36.4 percent in a hypothetical two-way race ― the first time he has overtaken Moon ― although the latter's camp later raised questions about the credibility of the survey.

Political pundits say Ahn's rise is in line with the fall of South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung, who was defeated by Moon in the DPK primary.

An, who once emerged as a challenger to Moon, showed a wider political spectrum, trying to embrace conservatives by promising to form a coalition government even with the largest conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP). Such promises deprived him of support from DPK loyalists, but he gained traction among young and centrist voters. And Ahn, who also took a centrist stance, has absorbed An supporters.

Strong anti-Moon sentiment among conservative voters is another reason for soaring support for Ahn. Some of them, who did not like Moon's former boss ― Roh ― even call Moon a North Korean sympathizer.

But as conservatives have no pivotal figure because of the corruption scandal involving former President Park, with a lack of big-name presidential contenders emerging, LKP candidate Hong Joon-pyo and the minor Bareun Party's Yoo Seong-min are not gaining much support.

"Except for some ultra-right hardliners, many conservatives see Hong and Yoo as unlikely to win, and they are choosing Ahn as an alternative," political analyst Hwang Tae-soon said. "Those who do not like Moon paid attention to An, but as he was losing in the primaries, it seems they are moving to Ahn."

Myongji University professor Shin Yul also said that "shy conservatives," centrists and anti-Moon voters are heading toward Ahn. "Anti-Moon voters have begun to express their opinion. We suspect about 15 percent of all the voters are shy conservatives who have refused to participate in opinion polls, and Ahn is getting their support. His support rating could reach 30 percent next week."

Ahn has a relatively clean image compared to many longtime politicians, who have often been involved in bribery or influence-peddling allegations.

Last June, only four months after he and some dissenters from the DPK started the People's Party ― with Ahn becoming the co-leader ― allegations arose that two party members received illicit political funds from two local firms in the run-up to the general election in April. That scandal dealt a blow to Ahn's "new politics" initiative, and he resigned his leadership to take "political" responsibility.

But in January, a local court acquitted the two lawmakers of the charges, citing a lack of evidence. This again highlighted Ahn's clean image and helped him avoid possible attacks from his rivals about allegations of corruption.