Conflict Over 'Communication Skills'
Geum Candidate: "Such Issues Should Not Arise If I Become Mayor"
An Candidate: "I Reflect Deeply on My Shortcomings... Such Things Won't Happen Again"
Ahn Cheol-soo, the preliminary candidate of the People’s Party, and Geum Tae-seop, an independent preliminary candidate running in the Seoul mayoral by-election, are attending the second unification debate held at KNK Digital Tower in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 25th, and are taking a commemorative photo. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Ahn Cheol-soo, the preliminary candidate of the People’s Party, and independent preliminary candidate Geum Tae-seop faced off in the second TV debate for the Seoul mayoral by-election on the 25th. On this day, Candidate Geum criticized Candidate Ahn for "lack of communication skills," and Candidate Ahn actively explained and emphasized sincerity in response.
During the debate, which was broadcast live on YouTube, the two candidates clashed over the "communication controversy." Candidate Geum opened the discussion by saying, "When Candidate Ahn was co-leader of the Democratic Party with Kim Han-gil, I was the party spokesperson."
He continued, "At that time, lawmakers from the New Politics Alliance for Democracy came to me and complained, saying, 'At Kim Han-gil’s office, they just knock and come and go freely and even smoke inside, but when we knocked to enter Ahn Cheol-soo’s office, the secretary came out and asked what the business was and whether there was an appointment. How can the party leader behave like that?'" He pointed out, "Since I experienced it firsthand, Candidate Ahn cannot be unaware of this."
He then jabbed, "Will you act like this with city council members as well?"
In response, Candidate Ahn said, "I was not aware of that part," but added, "If that is true, it is entirely my fault. If the chief secretary I appointed blocked people who had legitimate business, that was wrong," and apologized.
However, Candidate Geum continued his criticism of Candidate Ahn. He said, "It is frustrating that Candidate Ahn says 'it is not true, I didn’t know' when talking about this issue," and pointed out, "If Candidate Ahn becomes the unified opposition candidate and becomes mayor, such problems should not happen again."
He added, "When Candidate Ahn ran for president, a three-term lawmaker who was the general campaign committee chair said, 'Where do you hold meetings? Let’s meet,' but Candidate Ahn did not tell him," and raised his voice, saying, "Candidate Ahn keeps saying 'it’s not true, I didn’t know,' but if he really wants the Seoul mayor position and plans to run in the next presidential election, he should honestly state his position on this issue and reflect."
While Candidate Geum urged reflection, Candidate Ahn said, "I left the Democratic Party in 2015. At that time, I realized that these people could not be changed and founded the People’s Party," adding, "Everyone said it would fail, but we formed the first negotiation bloc with 38 seats since the era of the three Kims."
He continued, "There were many other events afterward, and there were difficulties and trials," and emphasized, "I even declared that I would withdraw from practical politics and stayed abroad. However, through that process, I reflected a lot on what mistakes I made."
He added, "I am approaching this election with sincerity not to repeat such mistakes," and said, "I am truly sorry, and such things will probably not happen again."
Meanwhile, the debate between the two candidates, broadcast live on YouTube, was the final debate for the third-zone unification primary, which is scheduled to select the unified third-zone candidate on March 1.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
