Ahn Cheol-soo: "No Grudge Against Lee Jun-seok... I Don't Really Know What He Said"

Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, dramatically agreed on unifying their candidacies in the early morning of the 3rd and are entering the Yeouido Communication Center in Seoul to hold a joint press conference that morning. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, and Ahn Cheol-soo, the People's Party candidate, have declared their unification. Following this, Ahn stated that there are no lingering grudges against Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, with whom he had conflicts.

After concluding a joint press conference held on the 3rd at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Ahn responded to a question from reporters asking, "During the unification negotiations, you heard expressions from Leader Lee that could be considered insulting. Do you still hold any grudges?" He said, "I do not pay attention to stories that I am not particularly interested in," adding, "So, I don't really know what that person (Leader Lee) said. Please tell me later."

Ahn said, "The time for conducting opinion polls has already passed," and added, "We had to find a realistically possible way."

He continued, "I think many people will be disappointed by my decision today," and said, "There are also many who wish for the third party to continue existing and to fight hard. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to those people. I will repay them by proving my ability to execute and make South Korea a better country so that they will not be disappointed."

When asked whether he is considering joining the cabinet, referring to administrative duties, Ahn replied, "I honestly need to think more about what role I can play in the future that truly helps the people and whether it is something that can advance our country to the next level," adding, "There are various possibilities."

He added, "There is a saying in elections that the moment you raise your head, you lose. Unification does not mean we have won the election. We must humbly work harder and appeal to the people for us to win the election."

Yoon was asked, "Is it true that the People's Party side demanded an apology from Leader Lee and others regarding Ahn's withdrawal?" He answered, "Ahn Cheol-soo and Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party and the People's Party, have effectively become one," and said, "This is not about who apologizes to whom. Our minds are focused only on moving forward together for a better life for the people."

He continued, "I told Candidate Ahn and the People's Party officials, 'The principles and convictions of the third zone and political roles are important, but with the experience gained from dedicating yourself to political reform, please join forces with the People Power Party and me to broaden the philosophy and values of the People Power Party and work together with us to create a new and better country.'"

Yoon added, "I think the reason why the unification that you expected on the 27th did not materialize was because Candidate Ahn felt a heavy burden of gratitude toward the many people who supported his sincere political activities in the third zone," and said, "I expect that as Ahn and the two parties merge, the values and philosophy of the People Power Party will expand so that it can receive more love from the people."

Earlier, after the opposition unification was achieved that morning, Leader Lee posted on his Facebook, "I appreciate the courage to declare unconditional support for our candidate and to decide on the merger," and said, "I welcome Leader Ahn Cheol-soo and the members of the People's Party who made the big decision to become members of the People Power Party for the great cause of regime change."

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