Ahn Cheol-soo Declares 'Withdrawal After General Election'... Will His 'Winning Move' Work?

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Ahn Cheol-soo, a candidate running for the People Power Party leadership election, introduced a new card of "withdrawing after the general election" during a TV debate. This was in response to attacks from the pro-Yoon faction, who argued that "if a presidential candidate becomes the party leader, there is a risk of presidential party withdrawal or impeachment." However, other candidates launched sharp counterattacks, saying things like "Since the nominations are finished, there is no need for a leader (Kim Ki-hyun)" and "He admitted communication issues with President Yoon Seok-yeol (Cheon Ha-ram)."

On the 16th, Ahn said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' , "I wanted to express that all my sincerity lies in regime change," and "The public could understand that my becoming the party leader this time is not with the intention of 'using it to run for president'."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He attracted attention the day before during a TV debate by stating, "If I become the party leader, I will step down from the leadership position after the general election." This was a response to the pro-Yoon faction within the party who argued that "a presidential candidate should not become the party leader." Shin Pyeong, a lawyer who also served as the sponsor chairman for candidate Kim Ki-hyun, mentioned "presidential party withdrawal," and Kim himself referred to the "possibility of presidential impeachment."

However, considering that the importance of the party leader lies not in the position itself but in the "influence over nominations," voices criticizing his claim of "withdrawing after the general election" have also emerged. On the same day, Kim said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "Since the nominations and elections are all finished, there is no need to continue leading, so this is just pretending to cover up," and added, "If you declare 'I will not run for president,' then fine, but I don't understand why you keep doing things that can be seen as indirect tricks."

Cheon Ha-ram, who is creating a surge in support as part of the 'Lee Jun-seok faction,' also pointed out on YTN's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' , "(Regarding Ahn's statement) Does that mean he plans to prepare for the presidential election right after the general election? That thought came to mind first," and "It seems he admits that his relationship with the president is not very good and that communication will not be smooth."

He added, "The hidden meaning there is that the president 'probably won't like me,' but until recently, he was appealing to Yoon's heart, so this is somewhat contradictory," and said, "'Is he not confident in leading the party smoothly and stably?' I think there will be criticism on that point."

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