"Will Run for President" Won Hee-ryong Mentions Yoon Seok-youl and Ahn Cheol-soo as Opposition Competitors

Jeon Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju, is giving a lecture at the People Power Party's event "True to Its Name, Conservative" held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in July. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Province, officially announced on the 11th his intention to run in the next presidential election. He mentioned Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo as competitors within the opposition.

On the same day, Governor Won appeared on MBN's 'Jung Woon-gap's In-depth Analysis' and responded to the question, "Will you run for president?" by saying, "Yes, I will prepare."

Governor Won stated, "First, I have to win the (party) primary to run," adding, "I am preparing to win the primary, which is the first step of self-reorganization. I will confidently reveal my plans to the public soon. I aim to present a more concrete vision to the people around October to November."

He identified Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo as his competitors within the opposition. He said, "It is natural to acknowledge that Yoon Seok-yeol and Ahn Cheol-soo, who appear in current opinion polls, are competitors," but added, "There are many gaps when it comes to competitiveness in the general election. I believe there is enough time to prove Won Hee-ryong's unique presence, competitiveness, and expandability in those areas."

Regarding the issue of unification with Ahn Cheol-soo, he said, "If the big goals and intentions are the same, we should unite," and added, "It is necessary to have many conversations and mutual contacts about how much our intentions and styles align and what roles we can play as a team, starting with small cooperative models."

When asked who would be a tougher opponent between Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, and Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, both mentioned as ruling party presidential candidates, he said, "If the current Moon Jae-in administration is doing well and the opponent aims to continue it, that is an easier opponent. But if the opponent says everything is wrong and wants to completely overhaul it, that candidate is more difficult."

Regarding the criticism that "there are no prominent figures in the opposition compared to the ruling party," he explained, "There was no stage and no performers appeared," adding, "The reason the stage was not set is because there must be a foundation of moral integrity and public trust restored through the conservative party's self-reform. This is what the Kim Jong-in emergency committee is doing."

He continued, "If we only keep preparing the groundwork for the stage every time, time will just pass," and said, "Once the ground is somewhat selected, the stage equipment should be set up and performers inside and outside the party should appear. I believe this is just the beginning."

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