Rising Approval for Ahn... Will Anpung Surpass Yoon and Lee?

Ahn Cheol-soo's Rising Approval Ratings... "Hope Needed That David Can Defeat Goliath"
Ruling and Opposition Parties Send 'Unification Love Calls' Amid Ahn's Surge
Experts Say "Ahn Wind (Anpung) Is a Spillover Benefit from Yoon Seok-yeol's Approval Decline... Unification Possibility Is Half"

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, announced his first pledge under the theme "Making Korea a Land of Opportunity for Youth" related to youth at the metaverse press conference held at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on November 16 last year. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, sees his approval ratings on the rise, there is analysis that the presidential race dynamics are being shaken. Especially as the two leading candidates struggle to maintain their support, Ahn’s solo increase in approval ratings is raising expectations for a unification of opposition candidates behind him.

Ahn’s approval ratings have been steadily climbing recently. In a public opinion poll commissioned by Money Today to Gallup Korea, conducted nationwide from the 3rd to 4th among 1,001 adults aged 18 and over, Ahn ranked third with 12.9%, behind Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party with 37.6% and Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party with 29.3%. This marks a 5.4 percentage point increase from the previous survey (conducted on the 20th-21st of last month), which stood at 7.5%.

In terms of opposition candidate unification, Ahn is also ahead of Yoon. According to a poll commissioned by MBN and Maeil Business Newspaper to R&Search, conducted nationwide from the 4th to 5th among 1,003 adults aged 18 and over, Ahn led with 43.5%, surpassing Yoon’s 32.7%. In the single candidate competitiveness survey, Ahn (43.3%) also outpaced Yoon (35.8%). The public opinion poll results cited in the article can be referenced on the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission’s website.

Ahn is not satisfied with the rising approval ratings and is showing determination to broaden his support base. At the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 6th, he emphasized, “Although the (approval rating) rise is clear, the path to regime change that creates a better Republic of Korea, that is, a better regime change, is still long and arduous,” adding, “Now, there needs to be hope that David can defeat Goliath in Korean politics.”

He continued, “Now, I ask the people to overturn Korean politics with their strength,” appealing for support by saying, “Instead of the ruthless logic of power, prove the true justice that the right person wins through the people’s strength, that the morally good and solely people-oriented candidate wins.”

The two major parties are sending ‘unification’ love calls in response to Ahn’s advances. Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party, appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ on the 31st of last month and said, “Politics is about coalition. If one can govern with their own power alone, that would be different, but it’s not easy, is it?” He added, “Isn’t it possible to pool wisdom together to build the future of the Republic of Korea? If the thoughts are similar, combining to contribute to the country’s development is the attitude of a politician.”

The People Power Party recruited Kim Min-jeon, a professor at Kyung Hee University known as Ahn’s ‘political mentor,’ as a co-chairman of the Central Election Countermeasures Committee on the 27th of last month. Some have analyzed this as a move considering unification with Ahn.

Regarding this, when asked about unification with Yoon in a KBS ‘News 9’ interview on the 6th, Ahn responded, “Whether we negotiate (unification) or not is another matter. We could just meet, have a meal, and part ways.”

This has led to analysis that Ahn, who had previously drawn a line by saying “there will be no unification,” might now be willing to sit at the negotiation table for candidate unification. Earlier, after attending the ‘2022 New Year Meeting of Small and Medium Business Owners’ held at the Small and Medium Business Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on the 5th, Ahn told reporters, “I will win and bring about regime change and change the era,” adding, “I have no plans to meet separately with any other candidates.”

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Experts attribute Ahn’s rising approval ratings to Yoon’s political moves. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon analyzed, “As voters judge that Yoon is not performing well, Ahn is benefiting from the reflected loss in Yoon’s support.”

Regarding opposition unification, he said, “The possibility is fifty-fifty. If Ahn’s approval rating rises further, for example to 15-20%, unification will become more difficult,” speculating, “It is likely that Yoon’s side will be reluctant to agree to unification.”

Meanwhile, internal strife within the People Power Party was settled with a ‘dramatic reconciliation’ between Yoon and party leader Lee Jun-seok. This came 16 days after Lee resigned from his position in the campaign committee on the 21st of last month. In a closing remark at the party meeting on the 6th, Lee expressed his intention, saying, “Even if there are differences in direction for winning the presidential election, please do not doubt my sincerity,” and “If the differences are not due to other reasons, dialogue and communication are possible. We can talk at the party meeting as well. I will work hard for the presidential victory.”

The Democratic Party is showcasing a ‘one team’ spirit by joining hands with former leader Lee Nak-yeon and former Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. On the 5th, presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung visited Gwangju with them and emphasized the ‘one team’ spirit, saying, “All the candidates who competed are doing their utmost to play their maximum roles,” and “Integration with the Open Democratic Party has been decided, and former comrades who had left the party for various reasons are gathering again on one front.”

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