Ahn Cheol-soo: "No Interest in Hwang Kyo-ahn's Love Call... Prioritizing New Party Formation"

"Giant Parties Deceive Voters Every Election Season... 'Centrist Cosplay' Through Talent Recruitment"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Former lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo dismissed the 'love calls' from Hwang Kyo-ahn, leader of the Liberty Korea Party, and Park Hyung-joon, chairman of the Innovation and Integration Promotion Committee, saying he is "not interested." Regarding Jeong Dong-young, leader of the Democratic Peace Party, who said "we must first apologize sincerely to Honam," Ahn responded, "Founding a new party is the priority."

On the afternoon of the 30th, right after meeting with Professor Emeritus Han Sang-jin of Seoul National University at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Ahn held a briefing and was asked, "Park Hyung-joon, chairman of the Innovation Committee, sent a love call, and Hwang also expressed a desire to join yesterday. Do you have any intention to join them?" He replied, "I'm not interested." He added, "As I mentioned when I arrived at Incheon Airport, I came to discuss the right direction South Korea should take. My thoughts remain consistent."

Regarding a question about Jeong Dong-young's statement in the morning that "as a condition for opposition unity, the People's Party must sincerely apologize to Honam," Ahn said, "I am now standing alone in the wilderness," and added, "Isn't it more important to concretely decide how to build the new party first? I will proceed step by step from there."

When asked about the progress of founding the new party, he said, "I am discussing future matters with you all," and added, "I will soon announce the timing of the party's founding."

Regarding the Democratic Party and the Liberty Korea Party consecutively recruiting talent and announcing election pledges, he criticized, "Every election season, the two major parties deceive voters."

Ahn said, "In any country, more than half of the voters are centrists, but when it comes to elections, the entrenched major parties start pretending to be centrists," and pointed out, "(Centrist voters) are deceived only during elections." He continued, "They deceive by pretending to be centrists, attracting centrist voters through talent recruitment and policies, but after the election, they return to the left-right extremes," emphasizing, "We must now break the cycle of repeated hope and disappointment."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding his visit to the French Embassy that day, he said, "I met and talked with the ambassador and staff," adding, "France also had two large major parties that only cared about sustaining their political forces, and as a result, the people punished both parties," and "That’s how they were able to establish a practical centrist government." About the meeting with Professor Han, he said, "We exchanged various opinions on the deep-rooted problems in Korean society." When asked if Professor Han would play a role in founding the party, he replied, "We have not discussed that part yet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.