Ahn Cheol-soo: "Merging with Bareun Party without Convincing Gwangju Citizens... It Was a Short-Sighted Decision"

Ahn Cheol-soo Visits Gwangju, Campaigns at Chungjang-ro
On Merger with Bareun Party: "Not Enough Time to Persuade... I Apologize"
"Must Prevent Division and Conflict... Want to Win and Achieve National Unity"

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is greeting supporters at a campaign rally held on the 27th at Yi Sun-sin Square in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, apologized for merging the People’s Party and the Bareun Party to form the Bareunmirae Party, stating, "The lack of time to sincerely persuade the citizens of Gwangju and those in Honam of my true intentions is a lifelong regret."

On the 27th, during consecutive campaign events in Chungjang-ro, Gwangju, Candidate Ahn said, "Every time I come to Gwangju, I cannot help but feel sorry," expressing these sentiments.

He said, "In 2016, you created the People’s Party, a tremendous party with 38 seats in Gwangju. It was the fourth largest party since the era of the 'Three Kims (Kim Dae-jung, Kim Young-sam, Kim Jong-pil).'" He added, "I wanted to preserve the People’s Party that Gwangju created by any means. The problem was that our country’s electoral system makes it difficult for three parties to coexist. So, after much thought, I decided that we need to strengthen the presence of three parties, and I saw the spirit of the times as national integration."

He continued, "I believed that the way to repay the grace of the citizens of Gwangju was for Gwangju to take the lead in national integration, which is the spirit of the times. The first thing I did to achieve this was to merge the 38-seat People’s Party rooted in Honam with the small Bareun Party, which had about 20 seats rooted in Yeongnam," explaining, "The reason was simple. I thought that if Gwangju, which had been persecuted, extended a generous hand to Yeongnam, Gwangju would be the first in our country to achieve national integration."

He added, "I wanted to do that. That was why I merged the People’s Party and the Bareun Party to create the Bareunmirae Party," and said, "I apologize here. My thinking was short-sighted. It was not something to be rushed. I should have visited each citizen of Gwangju and persuaded them why I was doing this."

He also said, "In our country’s history, party mergers fail if not done quickly. Various obstacles arise, making success impossible. Because of my urgency, I believed that if this succeeded, Gwangju and Honam could be at the forefront of achieving the spirit of the times, national integration, and make history," explaining, "I thought that doing this quickly was the way to leave a historical legacy for Gwangju."

Candidate Ahn requested, "If anyone misunderstands my sincerity, please clear it up," and added, "Whether candidate number 1 or number 2 wins, the people will be divided and fight for another five years. I want to prevent that."

He emphasized, "This is a desperate reason that came out of a situation where there are only three members of the National Assembly, and even if I run for president, I might have no presence, and perhaps my political career could end."

He also said, "I deeply regret not winning the last presidential election," and appealed for support, saying, "I want to win and achieve national integration. Gwangju and Honam are places that changed our country’s history. I still believe that. Please help me."

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