Ahn Cheol-soo Meets Choi Jae-hyung, Says "Not Targeting Choi"... Temporary Resolution of Conflict with Ruling Party Innovation Committee

An "Focus on Emergency Committee"
Choi "Smooth Communication with Party Leadership"
Joo Ho-young Seems to Step Back, Emphasizing 'Innovation Committee Continuation'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party who called for the disbandment of the party’s Innovation Committee, met with Choi Jae-hyung, the Innovation Committee chairman, just one day later to resolve their conflict. The tension within the Innovation Committee, which showed signs of escalating into a battle for the next party leadership, appears to have calmed down for now. Since the conflict arose immediately after the launch of the party’s Emergency Response Committee, it is analyzed that the party quickly moved to ease tensions due to internal calls for stabilizing the Emergency Response Committee.

On the 19th, Choi told Asia Economy in a phone interview, “Ahn visited my (office) room the day before and explained the intention behind his remarks about disbanding the Innovation Committee,” adding, “He said he did not mean to disband the Innovation Committee but was worried that if different opinions came out from the Innovation Committee and the Emergency Response Committee, it might be seen as internal conflict within the party.”

Regarding this, Choi said, “I responded by saying, ‘I will communicate smoothly with the party leadership, so don’t worry. Such a thing will not happen,’” and added, “I understood that Ahn would no longer make such remarks.” He also added, “There have been several Innovation Committees in the past, but whether to accept innovation proposals was always a decision made by the party leadership. Even if the innovation proposals are not accepted, there is no reason for it to be seen as party conflict.”

Ahn’s side also stated, “We met with Chairman Choi yesterday and wrapped things up well,” and added, “Since the Emergency Response Committee has been formed, the intention was to focus on it, not to target Chairman Choi,” cautioning against overinterpretation.

The Innovation Committee was launched in June after the June 1 local elections, led by former party leader Lee Jun-seok, with a platform for reforming the party’s nomination system. However, with the transition to the Emergency Response Committee causing Lee to automatically lose his position as party leader, questions arose within the party about whether the Innovation Committee’s activities could gain momentum. On the 18th, Ahn told reporters at the National Assembly, “The Emergency Response Committee and the Innovation Committee actually share the same purpose,” and said, “But if different voices come out, it will cause confusion in the party, so I am suggesting unifying them,” thereby calling for the disbandment of the Innovation Committee. In response, Choi warned by name on Facebook, saying, “Ahn Cheol-soo, please do not shake the Innovation Committee,” which escalated the conflict between the two sides.

It is speculated that Ahn’s direct explanation to Choi was influenced by remarks from Joo Ho-young, the head of the Emergency Response Committee. After Joo emphasized the importance of maintaining the Innovation Committee, Ahn appeared to step back. After the Emergency Response Committee meeting the day before, Joo told reporters, “I believe the Emergency Response Committee and the Innovation Committee each have their own roles and areas of activity,” and added, “I hope the Innovation Committee will be active.”

Within the Emergency Response Committee, there is also a mood to prioritize supporting the Innovation Committee. On the same day, Joo met with Choi at the National Assembly to discuss the direction of the Innovation Committee and innovation proposals. After reporting, Choi said, “Chairman Joo said, ‘The party must always innovate and reform where necessary, so innovation activities are needed.’”

One Emergency Response Committee member said, “Rather than the Emergency Response Committee leading party innovation proactively, since the Innovation Committee is already active, it is better to gather their opinions well and then the Emergency Response Committee can decide whether to reflect them.” Another member also stated, “The Innovation Committee should select and focus on various innovation proposals, and if there are common denominators, they can be adopted together.”