Ahn Cheol-soo Apologizes to Supporters via YouTube: "My Shortcomings, Sorry"

Ahn Cheol-soo "Threatened into Unification? Fake News"

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, is communicating with supporters through a YouTube live broadcast on the 4th. Photo by YouTube channel 'Ahn Cheol-soo' screen capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, who withdrew from the presidential race after declaring unification with Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party’s presidential candidate, apologized on the 4th through a YouTube live broadcast, saying, "I am sorry to my supporters and many others."

On the afternoon of the same day, Ahn held a live broadcast on his YouTube channel, 'Ahn Cheol-soo.' He began by saying, "To those who traveled all the way from overseas to vote for me, even my daughter voted for me from abroad, I received so much support, but I was unable to repay it due to my shortcomings."

Ahn said, "I spent the entire morning writing handwritten letters. I probably wrote and tore up about a dozen pages. I posted one shortly after lunch, but I was told that even that letter was insufficient."

He continued, "Those who worked hard and ran around asking for support for Ahn Cheol-soo, I know all of you. There were comments that the letter did not mention those people, but that is my fault," expressing his apology with "I will humbly accept that."

He recalled, "When I first started in politics, that initial intention has truly not changed. The reason I entered politics was with the pure heart of 'creating a society that warmly embraces those who are socially disadvantaged' and 'hoping that our people can live happier lives.'"

Ahn added, "'We must build a better Republic of Korea,' and 'We must create a Republic of Korea where everyone is happy together'?these were the reasons I said throughout the election and in TV debates why I am involved in politics."

Photo by Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, Facebook screen capture.

Meanwhile, when a netizen commented, "Were you threatened by the People Power Party side?" he responded, "That is fake news. What reason would I have to be threatened? I have been attacked by the two major parties for the past 10 years; what new thing could there be?"

In particular, Ahn said, "The words that hurt me the most were, 'You shouldn’t trust politicians’ words, so I regret trusting you.' Those words pierced my heart," and added, "I really tried to keep my promises. Isn’t regime change a process and means for a better Republic of Korea? So I appealed to choose someone who can create a better Korea, but I think I was lacking and failed to persuade many people even a week before the election," apologizing again.

Earlier, Ahn left a lengthy handwritten letter for supporters disappointed by the unification decision. He said, "Many citizens have a strong desire for regime change. At the same time, many supporters want me to follow my own path," and "Especially thinking about the disappointment of those who hoped for my independent run weighs heavily on my heart."

He then explained, "I want to make this clear: I thought we must prevent a situation where regime change, which you and I have advocated together, would fail if unification did not happen."

He added, "I started politics to warmly embrace the socially vulnerable and to change the world. Although I began politics to change the world, I was anguished and pained that the suffering of the people has not decreased," and "The dilemma of the unification decision stemmed from that."

Furthermore, Ahn said, "Just because I could not complete the race does not mean I am giving up on my path," and "I clearly promise that I will continue to walk the path with you without losing my original intention, holding hands with all of you who have walked with me so far."

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