An, on 'Lee Jun-seok Innovation Committee': "Comprehensive innovation efforts beyond nominations are needed from now"

Questions on Role Theory Including Party Leadership Challenge: "Support Base Must Broaden"
Camp Disbandment Ceremony Attendees Also Encourage Ahn's Party Leadership Challenge Remarks

Ahn Cheol-soo, People Power Party candidate for Bundang-gap./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Ahn Cheol-soo, a People Power Party lawmaker elected in the June 1 local election by-election for the National Assembly seat in Bundang-gap, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We need to make efforts now that encompass innovations in areas such as the election system, candidate selection, and policies."

On the afternoon of the 5th, after the Bundang-gap campaign disbandment ceremony, Ahn responded to reporters' question about his thoughts on Lee Jun-seok’s launch of the Innovation Committee.

Ahn said, "Since there will be no elections for the next two years, we must continuously innovate in various fields to properly demonstrate our identity and presence. Rather than politics lagging behind while all other sectors of society develop, only parties that show political progress together can survive."

Regarding the defeat in the Gyeonggi gubernatorial election, when asked if People Power Party candidate Kim Eun-hye should have unified with independent candidate Kang Yong-seok, Ahn explained, "I was not speaking from a political engineering perspective, but considering various circumstances at the time, I proposed what I thought was a better method."

Previously, Ahn had raised the need for unification between Kim Eun-hye and Kang Yong-seok before the local elections. In contrast, Lee Jun-seok expressed a negative stance on the unification of the two candidates.

Ahn added, "Since I am not part of the leadership, I do not have decision-making authority, but I expressed my opinion. I believe the defeat was not due to a single cause."

Regarding his future role within the party, Ahn said, "I think our party must become truly loved by more citizens and broaden its support base," and emphasized, "To do so, the party must warmly embrace socioeconomically vulnerable groups rather than representing specific classes, and adopt a pragmatic approach that objectively views real-world issues and seeks the best solutions."

He added, "I do not yet have any specific thoughts about holding a particular position."

Earlier, in his remarks at the disbandment ceremony, Ahn stated, "I believe this victory is a mandate to move toward the politics that all citizens desire," and "No matter what hardships or trials come, I will take step by step toward the world that everyone here hopes for, with the same heart as the day I first started."

Attendees at the campaign disbandment ceremony included former Bareunmirae Party lawmaker Lee Eon-ju, former Saenuri Party (predecessor of People Power Party) lawmaker Kwon Eun-hee who served with Ahn in Bareunmirae Party, former Liberty Korea Party (predecessor of People Power Party) lawmaker Yoon Jong-pil, lawyer Jang Young-ha, and Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member-elect Lee Ki-in.

Former lawmaker Kwon Eun-hee said in her congratulatory speech, "Ahn’s decision to come to Bundang-gap and wear the (National Assembly) badge was an excellent choice," adding, "There is a huge difference between leading the party without a badge and leading the party while wearing one."

Lawyer Jang Young-ha, author of "Goodbye Lee Jae-myung," also supported Ahn, saying, "Ahn did not run just to get a badge," and "He must become a great political leader of South Korea, a giant who will lead the People Power Party and the country well."

Former lawmaker Lee Eon-ju said, "It has been almost 10 years since I dreamed of doing something together with Ahn Cheol-soo," and "I hoped Ahn would be the unified (conservative) candidate in this presidential election, and although he unified at the end, he played a major role in regime change."

Lee had left the Democratic Party in 2017 and served as head of the New Media Headquarters of the central election campaign for Ahn Cheol-soo, then the People’s Party presidential candidate.

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