Ahn Cheol-soo: "I Have Never Considered Running in Bundang-gap"

Ahn Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee

On the 29th, Ahn Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, stated that he has "never considered" running in the by-election for the Bundang Gap district of Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, which will be held alongside the local elections on June 1.

Meeting with reporters in Tongui-dong that afternoon, Chairman Ahn was asked about his plans after the transition committee and replied, "I am not thinking about it at all, nor do I have the leisure to consider it."

He added, "There are many announcements I make myself several times a day at the transition committee. With little time left, it is tight to announce finalized matters."

When asked if he would consider running if requested by the party, he responded, "I can only say that I am not thinking in that direction at all right now," and added, "I believe this is a time to focus on the transition committee's work, not on running."

Regarding his critical stance on the government's policy to lift outdoor mask mandates, Chairman Ahn emphasized, "If (COVID-19 cases) start to rise again, who will take responsibility? Doctors always have the duty to make cautious judgments. The Korean Medical Association has expressed the same opinion."

On lifting indoor mask regulations, he said, "Experts are preparing for the possibility of another variant virus spreading from fall, around September to October," but also noted, "If we are fortunate and nothing significant happens by then, we might be able to take off masks at that time."

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