Unification Left Open by An... Will He Shed the Stigma of 'Withdrawal Politics'?

Ahn's Unification Efforts Labeled 'Withdrawal Politics'... 3rd Place with 21.41% Support in 2017 Presidential Election
Ahn's Stance on 'Unification' Changes from "Not Interested" to "If the People Want"
Experts Say "To Sustain Rising Support, Must Overwhelm Yoon in Vision and Policy"

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is attending the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th with a smile. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party who had drawn a line against opposition unification, has recently shown subtle changes leaving room for unification, drawing attention to his choice in the presidential race.

'Unification' is an unavoidable topic in Ahn’s political career. Early in his political career, in the 2011 Seoul mayoral by-election, he yielded his candidacy to the late Mayor Park Won-soon. In the 2012 presidential election, he withdrew during unification negotiations with then Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in. In the April 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election, he achieved unification through a primary with then People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon.

These unification experiences have left Ahn with the stigma of 'withdrawal politics.' In the 2017 presidential election, he completed the race but finished third with 21.41% of the vote.

Ahn has consistently dismissed unification talks and expressed his intention to complete the presidential race. At a debate hosted by the Korea Journalists Association on the 11th, when asked about the principles and conditions of unification in this election, he said, "I am not interested in unification. Naturally, I have never thought about conditions or anything like that," adding, "The reason I am running for president is that I want to become president and bring about a regime change."

However, recent analyses suggest a change in Ahn’s stance. Lee Tae-gyu, the general headquarters chief of the People’s Party election committee and a close aide to Ahn, said on TBS Radio’s 'Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory' on the 12th, "I believe the people will decide who is more suitable for regime change," adding, "If the absolute majority of the people want that, it is a matter to consider at that time."

Nonetheless, Ahn’s camp believes it is not the time to discuss unification. Lee said, "Unification coming from the main opposition party now is a frame to prevent Ahn Cheol-soo’s rising momentum from overwhelming the main opposition party," and added, "(Currently) our core strategy is to steadily show Ahn’s true colors and follow the direction indicated by the people. We believe it is not the right time to discuss unification."

Ahn’s approval ratings have been steadily rising. According to a presidential candidate opinion poll conducted by Korea Information Research on behalf of NewsPim on the 8th, surveying 1,003 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, Ahn’s support rose by 7.3 percentage points from the previous survey (on the 27th of last month) to 13%. People Power Party candidate Yoon Seok-youl recorded 40.3%, and Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung 34.7%. For detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.

From the left, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate; Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate; Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party presidential candidate.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the People Power Party has expressed that there is 'nothing to regret' about unification with Ahn. On the 12th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, said on YTN Radio’s 'Hwang Bo-seon’s Starting New Morning,' "From my perspective, I think he (Ahn) probably wants unification," arguing, "Because it is difficult for him to guarantee victory if he completes the race."

Lee added, "I understand why Ahn says 'there is no unification' at this point, but our party has not seriously considered unification either."

Lee also downplayed Ahn’s rising approval ratings as a 'fleeting dream.' On the 11th, on KBS Radio’s 'Joo Jin-woo Live,' he said, "Ultimately, the capabilities and preparations to support that (rising momentum) were insufficient, so it will end up like a fleeting dream," and predicted, "In this election, Ahn will likely pursue a politics based on the 'I dislike both Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Seok-youl' argument. If that happens, his support will drop again."

Regarding candidate Yoon, Lee expressed confidence, saying, "Since last weekend, he has actively targeted voters and is recovering lost votes," adding, "If he continues like this, I think he can win."

Experts say Ahn needs to overwhelm Yoon in vision and policy to maintain his rising support.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Because of the 'withdrawal politics' controversy, he completed the last presidential race but failed. Completing the race when defeat is certain is actually meaningless," and pointed out, "If he completes the race this time, he must overwhelmingly defeat Yoon and Lee and achieve over 40% support. Otherwise, it is no different from repeating the failure of the last presidential election."

Regarding Lee Jun-seok’s confidence in Yoon’s recovery, he added, "Recent polls show some recovery in support numerically," and said, "This level is actually a perfect environment and condition for unification. If Ahn’s support rises further here, Yoon’s side will likely avoid unification because the chance of losing increases."

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