"Will Align with Party and Public Sentiment"
"Exchanged Texts with Na Kyung-won and Jang Moon"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party and a candidate for party leadership, responded to Kim Ki-hyun, another candidate competing for the party leadership, who said he had never heard of any incumbent lawmakers supporting Ahn. Ahn stated, "Many lawmakers have expressed their support to me and have been calling me," adding that the number is around 20.
On the 1st, on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Ahn said, "They just don't express it publicly. According to our party's rules, current incumbent lawmakers or out-of-office party branch chiefs are not allowed to participate directly," explaining the situation.
Regarding the number of lawmakers supporting him within the party, he said, "Quite a few people have spoken to me, and in fact, my family roots are in Yeongju, Gyeongbuk, and I am from Busan, and since I am an incumbent lawmaker in the Seoul metropolitan area, there are many people who overlap with me in terms of connections and other aspects," adding, "There are more than twenty."
Recently, with former lawmakers Na Kyung-won and Yoo Seung-min withdrawing their candidacies, supporters' votes seem to be consolidating around Ahn. In a recent Gallup Korea poll, he recorded a support rate nearly double that of Kim in a head-to-head contest among ruling party supporters.
Although the pro-Yoon faction argues that "supporters and party members' surveys are different," Ahn predicted that "party sentiment ultimately follows public opinion," and that the trend will continue similarly to the poll results. He said, "Although the population ratio may differ slightly, compared to the past, the gap between party sentiment and public opinion has narrowed significantly. Now, there are more party members in the metropolitan area and more members in their 20s to 40s," adding, "When there are about one million party members, the results tend to converge with public opinion."
Regarding the controversy over the 'holey socks' performance, he said, "Why would I put on such a show? Honestly, I was a bit embarrassed and never wanted to show it, but the audience strongly requested it, so I reluctantly showed it briefly," adding, "Since still photos remain for a long time, it looked like I was holding my leg up for a long time."
He also revealed that he exchanged text messages with former lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who declared she would not run. Previously, Kim Ki-hyun also disclosed that he had exchanged lengthy text messages with Na. Ahn said, "She actually sent me a long message as well," adding, "(Na Kyung-won's message) was to the effect that she needed some time. It showed how much she had been contemplating, so I thought it would be better to give her more time, and since then, I have not contacted her and am currently observing the situation."
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