Ahn Cheol-soo: "Change Must Come Before Opposition Unity... Chairman Kim Jong-in, Thank You for Your Efforts"

Democratic Party's Incompetence and Corruption Should Not Be Expected to Bring Windfall Benefits
In This Election, Opposition Victory Rather Than Democratic Party Defeat
"I Will Never Give Up on Politics of Sincerity"

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, is looking at the newly changed backdrop while attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 8th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, emphasized on the 8th that the opposition must change before unification.

In his opening remarks at the People’s Party Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Ahn presented four values for opposition change: innovation, unity, future, and prosperity.

Ahn stressed, "We can no longer win by relying solely on the reflexive benefits gained from the incompetence and corruption of the Democratic Party of Korea," adding, "First, we must innovate." He continued, "Second, we must achieve great unity; third, we must prepare for the future," and "Fourth, the opposition has the responsibility to lead the prosperity of the Republic of Korea."

He diagnosed, "There are various reasons for the Democratic Party’s defeat, such as policy failures, but the biggest cause was arrogance before public opinion, intoxicated by overwhelming and consecutive victories in a series of elections," and said, "The opposition did its best through unification in this election, but if we look at it coldly, this election is more a defeat of the Democratic Party than a victory for the opposition."

He also said that to restore the Republic of Korea, which the ruling party has ruined, the opposition must win not only the presidential election next year but also the local elections and the 2024 general election.

Referring to the photo of Chusa Kim Jeong-hui’s 'Sehando' as a backdrop, Ahn said, "I, Ahn Cheol-soo, though lacking, will throw my whole body like a crooked tree protecting the ancestral graveyard to drive out lies, hypocrisy, foul play, and privilege, and to uphold justice, fairness, democracy, and the rule of law," adding, "Even if no one recognizes it, I will never give up sincere politics."

After the meeting, Ahn told reporters about discussions on the merger, "We agreed that meeting party members online and listening to voices from the field is a priority," and said, "The opposition’s election victory is not the end but the beginning." He also said, "Regarding the Seoul mayoral by-election, I said that who becomes the candidate is not important, but the opposition’s victory is, and I acted with sincerity until the end," adding, "Similarly, with only about 11 months left until the presidential election, I believe the opposition’s preparation will be approached in the same way."

He conveyed to Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party who resigned that day, "I want to say you worked very hard and I appreciate your efforts."

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