Ahn Cheol-soo: "Extreme Confrontation and Division Most Serious in Moon Government, Need for Moderate Pragmatic Politics"

'Cited as Problems: Political Absence, Livelihood Economy Collapse, and Diplomatic Isolation'

Ahn Cheol-soo, Leader of the People Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, pointed out the disappearance of politics and the collapse of the livelihood economy under the Moon Jae-in administration, proposing "centrist pragmatic politics" as an alternative.

On the 3rd, at the "Korean Political Criticism Society 2021 Public Forum" held at the Gwanhun Club Jeongsin Young Foundation Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Ahn diagnosed, "Extreme confrontation, hatred, exclusion, regime, agitation, fake news, especially the demonization of minority citizens causing conflicts among the people, division of the nation ? as far as I remember, I think the current situation is the most terrible."

He also pointed out diplomatic issues, saying, "There is a lack of understanding of international power dynamics and diplomacy that fails to distinguish between the state and the nation," adding, "As a result, the current ROK-US alliance is weakening, relations with Japan are at their worst, we are being ignored by China, and insulted by North Korea, leading to unfortunate outcomes."

He then criticized economic policies such as income-led growth and minimum wage increases, stating, "Without considering the side effects that could occur in reality, these policies were pushed unconditionally, resulting in inappropriate nationwide experiments," and "Small and medium-sized enterprises and lower-tier workers have become more burdened."

He continued, "The disappearance of politics, the collapse of the livelihood economy, and diplomatic isolation ? these three are the unfortunate results for the Republic of Korea," and said, "I believe the public sentiment revealed in the April 7 by-elections was a severe judgment by the people on the incompetence and hypocrisy of the regime."

Ahn proposed "centrist pragmatic politics" as a way to change and innovate Korean politics. He explained, "Politics centered on rational reform and problem-solving based on scientific facts and practical thinking," adding, "For example, if a conservative solution is appropriate for the economy in the current situation, choose the conservative option; if a progressive solution fits the security issue, choose the progressive option."

As methods to realize centrist pragmatic politics, he presented four principles: ▲ the value of national unity ▲ competent government ▲ restoration of communal values ▲ a fair and transparent society. He emphasized again, "It is not enough for the opposition to just unify; if they do not change and innovate, unification is meaningless," and said, "I hope rational change and reform will be promoted through centrist pragmatic leadership based on the changed political structure."

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