Ahn Cheol-soo Holding an Orange Flag... Minjung Party Faces 'Party Color Theft' Controversy

Minjung Party Spokesperson Calls It "Rude"
Controversy Over 'Green' During People's Party Era
Ahn Cheol-soo New Party Support Rate at 3%

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The People’s Party, led by former lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo, has been embroiled in a controversy over 'party color theft.' This is because the orange color of the People’s Party is already being used by the Minjung Party, a parliamentary party. In political circles, criticism has been raised that former lawmaker Ahn, who has put the value of fairness at the forefront, has effectively taken away opportunities from minor parties.

Lee Eun-hye, spokesperson for the Minjung Party, said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 10th, "Using the color of a parliamentary party itself is a rude act and causes confusion among voters," adding, "Many Minjung Party members continue their activities wearing orange clothes. I want to ask if this is what former lawmaker Ahn calls fairness."

This is not the first time former lawmaker Ahn’s party color has been controversial. When the People’s Party was founded in 2016, he also chose green, the symbolic color of the Green Party. At that time, the Green Party stated, "Whether the People’s Party uses green or not, the places we stand are different, so the scenery is different."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The People’s Party held its founding promoters’ meeting on the 9th and transitioned to a founding preparation committee system. Attendees tied orange handkerchiefs, the symbolic color of the People’s Party, around their necks. Former lawmaker Ahn also wore an orange knit sweater under his jacket. The founding preparation planning group explained that the orange color, a mix of red and yellow, symbolizes warmth, happiness, positivity, and hope.

Former lawmaker Ahn said, "To realize the interests of the people, to defeat factional politics, and to practice proper helper politics, we must confront deeply rooted authoritarianism with our whole bodies," adding, "We will take the path of pragmatic politics that fights. We must have firm beliefs and determination to stand up and fight against vested interests without yielding even a bit."

The People’s Party hopes to recreate the 'People’s Party storm,' but the reality does not look easy. On the 7th, Gallup Korea announced that in a survey conducted from the 4th to the 6th targeting 1,000 people aged 18 and over (with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points), the support rate for Ahn Cheol-soo’s new party was 3%. This is a rather modest result compared to the initial poll support rates of parties founded by former lawmaker Ahn in the past (New Politics Alliance 18%, New Politics Democratic Alliance 31%, People’s Party 13%, Bareunmirae Party 8%).

After the promoters’ meeting on the 9th, former lawmaker Ahn told reporters about the party’s support rate, "There hasn’t been enough time to fully inform people about what I want to do. From now on, we will work hard to let people know what makes our party different and what we want to do," adding, "I think the (poll) has provided us with motivation to make efforts."

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