Ahn Cheol-soo, Wife and Daughter Front and Center in Election... Contrasting 'Family Risk'

Wife Professor Kim Mi-kyung to Visit Honam and Jeju for 3 Nights and 4 Days from the 26th
Daughter An Seol-hee Starts Vlog on YouTube

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is holding a New Year press conference at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, has brought his spouse and daughter to the forefront of the election campaign. Ahn, who comparatively has no 'family risk,' is highlighting his strengths by contrasting himself with the candidates from the two major parties.

According to the People’s Party on the 26th, Ahn’s wife, Professor Kim Mi-kyung of Seoul National University, will visit the Honam region for a 3-night, 4-day schedule starting today. This is the first time the party has officially announced Kim’s schedule independently at the party level. On the same day, without Ahn, Professor Kim will visit Malbau Market in Gwangju to greet people and then visit the families of victims at the collapsed apartment construction site in Hwajeong-dong to offer condolences. In the afternoon, she will hold a meeting with the student councils of the medical schools at Chonnam National University and Chosun University.

The People’s Party expects Kim, who is originally from Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, to play a role in attracting votes from the Honam region. Ahn Hye-jin, spokesperson for the People’s Party, explained, "Due to Ahn’s schedule, he cannot visit Honam before the Lunar New Year holiday, so his spouse is going instead to manage the region."

Ahn’s daughter, Ahn Seol-hee, has also joined the campaign support. Considering the difficulty of immediately joining the campaign schedule due to COVID-19 self-quarantine, she started uploading vlogs on YouTube from the previous evening. Ahn said, "Through YouTube, I hope to show more of who Ahn Cheol-soo is as a person and as a father, rather than just as a politician."

By putting his family at the forefront, Ahn is emphasizing differentiation from Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party. Lee is currently facing allegations related to his children’s illegal admissions, illegal gambling, and prostitution, while Yoon is embroiled in controversies over his wife’s academic fraud and the '7-hour phone call.'

The possibility of opposition party unification still seems ongoing. Choi Jin-seok, the standing election committee chairman of the People’s Party, met with Hong Joon-pyo, a member of the People Power Party, and on the 25th, he reportedly met with Kim Jong-in, former general election committee chairman of the People Power Party.

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