By Chung Min-uck
Entrepreneur-turned-lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo's decision last month to join hands with the then main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has turned out to be largely unfavorable for him, at least in the short term.
Ahn-backed candidates are currently facing setbacks in the primaries of the newly-formed New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) for the upcoming June 4 local elections.
Kim Sang-gon, former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province and a close aide of Ahn, lost to Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a former DP member, in the party primary for the Gyeonggi governor's seat Sunday.
Also, Lee Seok-hyung, a former chief of Hampyeong County and also a pro-Ahn figure, was defeated in the primary for the South Jeolla Province governorship by Rep. Lee Nak-yon, hailing from DP.
The NPAD co-chairman's other choice ― Yoon Jang-hyun for the Gwangju mayoral seat ― has also proven to be a controversial pick as he is behind by almost 10 percentage points against Rep. Lee Yong-sup and incumbent Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae in a hypothetical two-way race.
Rep. Lee and Kang, both from the now-defunct DP, recently quit the NPAD in protest of the party leadership's decision to unilaterally appoint Yoon.
They have both declared they will run for the Gwangju mayoral seat as independents and experts say a defeat of Yoon in the traditional home turf for liberal parties in the local elections would deal a serious blow to Ahn's clout as a politician.
The former presidential candidate's decreasing political clout is negatively affecting his public popularity as well.
According to a Gallup Korea survey, released Monday, middle-of-the-road voters' approval rating of the NPAD dropped sharply from the time when Ahn first joined hands with the former main opposition DP in early March.
The survey showed the party's rating from moderate voters peaked during the first week of March when Ahn announced his camp's merger with the DP scoring 35 percent, but in the last week of April fell to 23 percent.
The former Seoul National University professor's popularity mainly came from moderate and young voters due to his clean and upright image.
"Ahn's image enabled the NPAD to garner support from the middle-of-the-road voters," said an official from Gallup Korea. "But as local elections draw near, expectations that Ahn will strive for establishing new politics faded away and such a trend is reflected in the survey."
The 52-year-old founder of South Korea's largest anti-virus software firm, who had no prior political experience, participated in the 2012 presidential election but dropped out of the race in the middle of the campaign after negotiations to merge candidacies with Moon Jae-in, then the DP's presidential candidate.
Entrepreneur-turned-lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo's decision last month to join hands with the then main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has turned out to be largely unfavorable for him, at least in the short term.
Ahn-backed candidates are currently facing setbacks in the primaries of the newly-formed New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) for the upcoming June 4 local elections.
Kim Sang-gon, former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province and a close aide of Ahn, lost to Rep. Kim Jin-pyo, a former DP member, in the party primary for the Gyeonggi governor's seat Sunday.
Also, Lee Seok-hyung, a former chief of Hampyeong County and also a pro-Ahn figure, was defeated in the primary for the South Jeolla Province governorship by Rep. Lee Nak-yon, hailing from DP.
The NPAD co-chairman's other choice ― Yoon Jang-hyun for the Gwangju mayoral seat ― has also proven to be a controversial pick as he is behind by almost 10 percentage points against Rep. Lee Yong-sup and incumbent Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae in a hypothetical two-way race.
Rep. Lee and Kang, both from the now-defunct DP, recently quit the NPAD in protest of the party leadership's decision to unilaterally appoint Yoon.
They have both declared they will run for the Gwangju mayoral seat as independents and experts say a defeat of Yoon in the traditional home turf for liberal parties in the local elections would deal a serious blow to Ahn's clout as a politician.
The former presidential candidate's decreasing political clout is negatively affecting his public popularity as well.
According to a Gallup Korea survey, released Monday, middle-of-the-road voters' approval rating of the NPAD dropped sharply from the time when Ahn first joined hands with the former main opposition DP in early March.
The survey showed the party's rating from moderate voters peaked during the first week of March when Ahn announced his camp's merger with the DP scoring 35 percent, but in the last week of April fell to 23 percent.
The former Seoul National University professor's popularity mainly came from moderate and young voters due to his clean and upright image.
"Ahn's image enabled the NPAD to garner support from the middle-of-the-road voters," said an official from Gallup Korea. "But as local elections draw near, expectations that Ahn will strive for establishing new politics faded away and such a trend is reflected in the survey."
The 52-year-old founder of South Korea's largest anti-virus software firm, who had no prior political experience, participated in the 2012 presidential election but dropped out of the race in the middle of the campaign after negotiations to merge candidacies with Moon Jae-in, then the DP's presidential candidate.
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