Policy Changes According to Economic Conditions
Focus on 4th Industrial Revolution and Carbon Neutrality
Preparing for the Post-Corona Era
Presidential Candidates Relay Interview ④ Ahn Cheol-soo, Leader of the People Party
Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, is being interviewed at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 17th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] When asked, "What field are you currently interested in studying?" Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, lit up. "I am looking into the economic sector. As the economic situation changes, various policies must also change. I am contemplating solutions on which parts of our country's economy are problematic and how we can recover potential growth rates and create jobs in the post-COVID-19 era."
His interests include the Fourth Industrial Revolution, climate change, carbon neutrality, and ecosystem changes. These diverse interests seem related to his multifaceted background. In many ways, his life can be described as a lifelong pursuit of learning. He was a medical school professor before venturing into a completely different field of developing computer virus vaccines, then became a businessman, and later served as a professor of business administration. Through various lectures and TV appearances, he attracted public attention to the extent that the term "Ahn Cheol-soo syndrome" emerged.
Recently, the phrase "moment of the star" has become popular regarding a leading presidential candidate, and the qualifier "like Ahn Cheol-soo in the early 2010s" is used to help understand that phrase, which gives a sense of how the situation was back then.
In 2011, there was talk of him running for Seoul mayor, but he yielded to Park Won-soon, then executive director of the Hope Institute. Later, as his political entry possibilities continued to be discussed, he declared his candidacy for the 2012 presidential election but withdrew to support Moon Jae-in, then the Democratic United Party candidate. He ran in the by-election for Seoul Nowon B constituency, which became vacant due to the death of the late lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan, and became a member of the National Assembly.
Emphasizing "new politics," he stressed changes to the de facto two-party system in Korean politics and led change by founding a centrist new party. He has represented the third political zone in Korean politics but repeatedly faced the limitations of the two major parties.
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