Ahn Cheol-soo Considering Seoul Mayoral Run... Park Won-soon Unification Talk Resurfaces

Ahn Cheol-soo "Willing to Play Any Role for Regime Change"

On September 6, 2011, Ahn Cheol-soo, then Dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University, embraced Park Won-soon, then Executive Director of the Hope Institute, after announcing his position on the unification of candidates for the Seoul mayoral by-election at Supia Hall, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] On the 6th, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, stated, "I am willing to play any role for regime change," effectively leaving open the possibility of running for Seoul mayor. This has brought back memories of when he ran for Seoul mayor in the past and attempted to unify candidacies with the late Park Won-soon, former Seoul mayor (honorific omitted hereafter).

At that time, Ahn Cheol-soo, then dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University, conceded the mayoral candidacy to lawyer Park Won-soon, whose approval ratings were only in the single digits, earning praise as a "gracious concession." However, after Ahn became party leader and adopted a critical stance toward the Moon Jae-in administration, their relationship began to deteriorate.

On September 7, 2011, Ahn announced he would not run for Seoul mayor, endorsing Park Won-soon. Subsequently, Park succeeded in unifying the opposition candidacy for mayor and immediately formed an election campaign headquarters centered on civic groups to prepare for the opposition primary.

At that time, various polls showed Ahn’s approval rating nearing 50%, easily surpassing established politicians such as Na Kyung-won, former Future United Party (now People Power Party) lawmaker and a leading candidate for the ruling party.

In response, Ahn said, "The current distrust people have toward the existing political establishment is incomparable. It is the worst in the history of the nation since its founding," adding, "I am still in my 40s, and I have not decided whether to run or not. If these long-established parties are shaken all at once, that reflects public sentiment, not support for me."

On September 13, 2012, Ahn Cheol-soo, then Dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University, visited Seoul City Hall and had a conversation with Mayor Park Won-soon.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The unification process was also different from the usual political scene, which is often focused on dividing interests. It was a kind of 'generous concession.'

On September 5, 2011, Ahn hinted that he might concede his candidacy to Park Won-soon, then executive director of the Hope Institute. The next day, at 4 p.m. on September 6, after a brief 17-minute conversation with Park, Ahn abruptly announced that he would unify the candidacy under Park.

Ahn said, "I met with lawyer Park Won-soon and fully heard his ambitions and determination," adding, "There are no conditions for unification. I will not run. As you just said, I sincerely hope he becomes mayor and fulfills his intentions well."

After unifying with Ahn, Park Won-soon’s approval rating, which had been around 5%, skyrocketed to the 50% range. Subsequently, in the Seoul mayoral by-election held on October 26, Park was elected mayor with an overwhelming 53.4% of the vote.

However, the relationship between the two, which had brought a fresh shock to the political world, did not last long. In 2018, when Ahn ran as the Bareunmirae Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor, on June 2 of that year, he indirectly criticized Park Won-soon, who was seeking a third term as the Democratic Party candidate, saying, "Politicians tend to avoid conflict zones. They do not try to solve complex problems and only look for places that shine brightly, just tagging along. Such people are useless."

Later, on July 9, 2020, when Park Won-soon ended his life by suicide, Ahn posted on his Facebook on the 11th, saying, "I cannot help but feel very saddened by the deceased’s death, but I have decided not to pay a separate condolence visit," emphasizing, "This is a tragic and unfortunate event that should never have happened. Also, I cannot agree to holding a five-day funeral with city honors in Seoul, even though this is not a death in the line of duty."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, is attending and giving a lecture at the People's Future Forum seminar titled "Post-Corona Era, South Korea's Innovation Tasks and Future Vision," held on the morning of the 6th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on the same day (the 6th), at a lecture hosted by the National Future Forum held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building in the morning, Ahn said, "When I returned to Korea earlier this year, I thought our country was deteriorating and that the government and ruling party were responsible," adding, "Rather than focusing on what I could become, I thought I would do whatever role necessary for regime change, and I still hold this belief."

After the lecture, during a meeting with reporters, Ahn said, "(The question about running for Seoul mayor) is a question I hear a hundred times if I hear it a few more times. I will do my best for regime change," and when asked if this differed from previous media reports stating he would "never run for Seoul mayor," he replied, "I have not changed. I just used different words because I was tired of saying the same thing, but the meaning is the same."

Regarding whether the People’s Party could participate in the People Power Party primary, he said, "The People Power Party primary is their issue," adding, "We have not internally discussed how to conduct the by-election, but after the budget session of the National Assembly ends, our lawmakers will start considering it."

On the anti-Moon (Ban-Moon) coalition, he said, "There is talk of an anti-Moon coalition, but I believe no political force has ever won by opposing someone," adding, "If the anti-Moon coalition becomes a one-on-one fight, it will be the same pattern as the last general election."

He continued, "Then, people will repeatedly vote for the party they are disappointed with rather than the party they dislike. Instead of such an anti-Moon coalition, a coalition of reformist and future-oriented political forces thinking about the nation’s future is the only way forward," adding, "The most important target on the timetable is the presidential election two years from now. It is the responsibility of each party and political force to do their best with the presidential election in mind."

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