[Exclusive] Former Supreme Court Justice Ahn Dae-hee Appointed as Sponsorship Chairman for Jo Su-jin, Spokesperson of the Korean Party

Former Supreme Court Justice Ahn Dae-hee

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Former Supreme Court Justice Ahn Dae-hee has taken on the role of chairman of the support committee for Cho Su-jin, spokesperson of the Future Korea Party. Cho, who previously worked as a reporter for Dong-A Ilbo covering the prosecution, has maintained a connection with Ahn since the time he served as head of the Central Investigation Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

On the 7th, Cho told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "Recently, while talking with an acquaintance, I mentioned that I hadn't decided on someone to be the chairman of the support committee and that it might be difficult given how dominant the ruling party has become. I understand that acquaintance conveyed this to former Justice Ahn," adding, "The next day, former Justice Ahn contacted me immediately and gladly agreed to take on the role."

Former Justice Ahn supported some members of the Future United Party during the general election campaign period, but this is his first time serving as chairman of the support committee for elected officials after the election. He was nominated as a prime minister candidate in 2014 but was dropped following controversies over high legal fees after retiring from the Supreme Court. He later served as a Supreme Council member of the Saenuri Party and ran unsuccessfully in the 2016 general election. Ahead of this general election, he was also mentioned as a candidate for the Future United Party’s nomination management committee chairman.

Cho began her journalism career at Kukmin Ilbo in 1996 and moved to Dong-A Ilbo in 2004, where she covered investigations into presidential election funds. Cho said, "In 2004, the reporters covering the story would start work at 6:30 a.m. and leave around 1 a.m. the next day, which fostered a kind of camaraderie with the investigative team, including former Justice Ahn," adding, "The reporters who covered that story still get together from time to time."

While serving as deputy chief at Dong-A Ilbo in July 2012, Cho wrote a column titled "I want to see a ‘second Ahn Dae-hee’," stating, "Ahn Dae-hee, the ‘people’s prosecutor’ who uncovered illegal presidential election funds, ended his 35-year public service career on the 10th," and "We held a gathering with about ten reporters who had covered the Supreme Prosecutors' Office during the investigation. It is rare for reporters to organize events for former sources, but the presidential election fund investigation was a historic moment for the prosecution."

Cho was initially selected as the number one candidate on the Future Korea Party’s proportional representation list but was adjusted to number five following nomination conflicts between the Korea Party and the Future United Party. She was smoothly elected to the National Assembly.

Cho said, "Being chairman of the support committee is a demanding position in many ways, so it was difficult to ask directly, but I am grateful and greatly encouraged that former Justice Ahn heard about it and readily accepted."

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