Kim Jin-ae: "Ahn tries to gradually swallow the conservative opposition with his meager recognition"

Ahn Cheol-soo Proposes 'Open Primary Platform' to People Power Party

Kim Jin-ae, a member of the Open Democratic Party who declared her candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election, is holding a press conference on the 19th at the National Assembly Communication Office to announce the proposal of a three-part system amendment to protect the jeonse deposits of low-income tenants.
Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Regarding the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, demanded that "the People Power Party’s primary platform be opened to the entire opposition." In response, Kim Jin-ae, a member of the Open Democratic Party who declared her candidacy for the by-election, strongly criticized Ahn, saying he is "trying to swallow the conservative opposition forces day by day with his meager name recognition and approval ratings."

On the 20th, Kim posted on her Facebook, "When the desperate People’s Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo said he would enter the People Power Party’s Seoul mayoral primary alone, Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, cut it off immediately," adding, "Without properly looking into other parties’ bylaws or the Public Official Election Act, he remains stuck in the so-called 'Andong theory' and the belief that 'the world revolves around me, Ahn Cheol-soo,' without any deviation."

Kim continued, "I am committed to conducting the Open Democratic Party primary and subsequent unification and general election preparations fairly and sincerely, considering each party’s position."

She emphasized, "I know that Kim Jin-ae has a fairly strong support base within the Democratic Party of Korea, but I do not attempt any prior contact. I am trying to win hearts and believe the time will come to prove my competitiveness in the general election."

She also added, "I am not contacting experts related to the current Seoul city administration either," explaining, "I am aware that I should be mindful of relations with the Democratic Party of Korea and do not want to cause any inconvenience."

Finally, Kim expressed, "If I become the Open Democratic Party’s candidate, I believe the time will come to pursue broad-based cooperation," once again mentioning the possibility of candidate unification with the ruling party.

Earlier, Kim had agreed to pursue candidate unification with Woo Sang-ho, a Democratic Party of Korea member who is also running for Seoul mayor. Kim stated, "We agreed to pursue candidate unification if both become the final candidates of their respective parties."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, is attending a press conference related to the opposition unity held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th. Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the 19th, Ahn proposed an open "integrated primary" in which all opposition candidates, including himself, would participate simultaneously in the People Power Party’s April by-election primary to unify the opposition candidates for the Seoul mayoral by-election.

At a National Assembly press conference that day, Ahn said, "Asking me to join the People Power Party is an unreasonable demand from the start," and added, "Please open the People Power Party’s primary platform to the entire opposition."

He further proposed, "Let’s unconditionally start practical discussions, including ways to have the People Power Party manage this platform, to select the most competitive unified opposition candidate."

He elaborated, "Let anyone from the opposition, including independent candidates like myself, participate in this platform," and "Let’s pledge to the public that whoever is selected as the unified candidate, we will lead efforts to ensure their victory."

On the other hand, Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, expressed a negative stance toward this proposal, saying, "That is Ahn’s position." In an interview with reporters that day, Kim said, "We cannot accept such a proposal unconditionally. We have no choice but to discuss unification after confirming our candidate."