Ahn Cheol-soo Targets Yoon: "No Answer to Ukraine Crisis in Mind... Will Drag Entire Nation into Danger"

On the 25th, at the SBS studio in Sangam-dong, Seoul, during the 2nd political TV debate for the 20th presidential election candidates hosted by the National Election Commission, Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party presidential candidate (left), and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People Party candidate, are moving after greeting each other.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, targeted Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, regarding the Ukraine crisis, saying, "How can a person with no answers in their head become president?" and sharpened his words by asking, "Will he put the entire country in danger?"

On the 27th, during a campaign rally at Mokpo Station Plaza in Jeollanam-do, Ahn referred to the security-related question he posed to Yoon during the TV debate hosted by the National Election Commission on the 25th and made these remarks.

Ahn said, "In the last TV debate, I asked (Yoon), 'If the Ukraine crisis occurs, the U.S. will have no choice but to concentrate its troops there, and if that happens, our security could be in serious danger given the current standoff between South Korea and North Korea.'"

He added, "The moderator interrupted me when I was asking about this," and criticized, "I guess (Yoon) knew he couldn’t answer."

Earlier, Ahn expressed regret through a statement from his party’s election campaign publicity team, claiming that the moderator showed bias in favor of Yoon during the TV debate.

Ahn emphasized, "That’s why global awareness is necessary," adding, "You have to know how the world works and how technology develops to protect the lives of the people and create future sources of income."

Regarding unification with Yoon as the opposition candidate, he said, "I have heard nothing." After visiting the Kim Dae-jung Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Hall in Mokpo that day, Ahn told reporters, "I already proposed unification about ten days ago, but I was completely ignored," and claimed, "I received no response."

When asked if he had any contact with Yoon, Ahn replied, "It is impossible for me to use my cellphone." Recently, Ahn has been receiving a barrage of text messages urging unification from some supporters of the People Power Party.

Ahn expressed frustration, saying, "If you look now, the messages keep coming," and added, "About 20,000 calls and texts have come in. How should I explain actions that prevent me from using my phone? Can you still consider them the same negotiation partner?"

Meanwhile, Yoon claimed, "We agreed on unification with Ahn, but Ahn ultimately notified us of the breakdown."

Yoon held a press conference at the Yeouido party headquarters in the afternoon and said, "Until this time today, I did my best for unification with Ahn," adding, "I tried to call Ahn several times and conveyed opinions via text messages."

Yoon said, "Yesterday, the plenipotentiaries of both sides met from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and reached a final agreement," and added, "They reported the result to me and Ahn, and only scheduling a meeting with Ahn remained."

He continued, "Then in the evening, Ahn, who had previously expressed his intention to run to the end, requested 'to provide a little more justification for withdrawing his candidacy,'" and said, "So I conveyed that I would visit Ahn’s home to show a respectful attitude."

Yoon said, "However, I did not receive a response," and added, "I heard that Ahn left for Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, for campaigning."

He went on, "If Ahn sets a time and place even now, I want to visit him directly and have an open-hearted conversation," and concluded, "I will wait for Ahn’s response."

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