Ahn Cheol-soo: "Winning is the Goal... Not Considering Unification"

Attended Kwanhun Club Debate on the Morning of the 8th
Also Stated "Never Thought About" the DJP Alliance

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is speaking at the presidential candidate invitation Kwanhoon debate held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 8th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporters Bomryeong Geum, Hyunji Kwon] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, emphasized on the 8th that his goal is to win the election and reiterated his negative stance on unification with Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party. Regarding the 'DJP (Kim Dae-jung + Kim Jong-pil) alliance' method proposed by Yoon’s side, he drew a clear line, saying it is "not a consideration."

On the morning of the same day, at the Kwanhun Club debate held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, when asked about unification, Ahn said, "I came out to be the main force of regime change," and added, "The goal is to win, not just to complete the race." Concerned that questions about unification would continue, Ahn showed discomfort, saying, "I hope we don’t spend 15 to 30 minutes of precious time on unification."

When asked, "How does the People Power Party show sincerity about unification?" he replied, "Since it’s another party, I don’t know the internal circumstances, but I understand that internally they are divided into two camps and that there is no consensus on public discussion." He added, "I wonder what kind of proposal could come out when there is no internal agreement." Ahn had previously criticized the People Power Party for lacking sincerity in publicly mentioning unification.

Regarding the "unification method," Ahn said, "Since I am not thinking about unification, I have never thought about the method either." He even responded to the DJP alliance proposed by Yoon’s side with, "I have never thought about it," and "This is not a matter for consideration."

He also expressed frustration about the unification image surrounding him. Ahn said, "Whenever I go to the market or meet many people, what I hear is ‘Don’t quit halfway this time’ or ‘Are you going to unify again this time?’ I want to firmly say that both are completely untrue." He emphasized, "In the past 10 years, I have been involved in nine major elections, and the first time I conceded was in the 2012 presidential election, and that was the only time." He added, "When I said I wouldn’t unify, I never did, and I only said I would unify once, which was during last year’s Seoul mayoral by-election."

Although there is public opinion that unification is necessary for regime change, Ahn stated, "I have never received any proposal (from the People Power Party)," and asserted, "I never considered it from the beginning and started with the intention to go all the way."

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