[Interview with Former National Assembly Speaker] Ahn Cheol-soo "Battle Between General Election Victory and Primary Victory... Confident in 170 Seats"

Seoul and Gyeonggi-based Three-term Metropolitan Area Lawmakers
Announce General Election Victory Strategies Three Times
"Sweep 50 Metropolitan Seats with a 15%p Gap"

"It has become like a contest between someone whose goal is to win the general election and someone whose goal is to win the primary."

Ahn Cheol-soo, the People Power Party's candidate for party leader, recently stated in an interview with Asia Economy, "I have always talked about how to win the general election and have announced strategies three times, but I don't understand why no other candidate has made any strategic announcements."

On the 12th of last month, Ahn announced his strategy under the theme "A Proud and Confident Party Leader Whom Party Members Can Be Proud Of: New Changes in the Party and Strategies for Winning the General Election." On the 19th, he presented "We Are the Owners," focusing on strengthening party membership rights and the nomination system, and on the 24th, he discussed "Supporting the Government's Three Major Reforms and Measures to Eradicate Corruption in Politics." On the 26th, he held a "Strategy Talk Show for the People Power Party's Victory in the Seoul Metropolitan Area General Election."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This shows his strong commitment to 'policy.' Ahn said, "The first step in party reform is to make the party a competent policy party. I wanted to compete more on policy by making many policy announcements, but unfortunately, there aren't many policy-related issues in this party convention."

He was also full of confidence about winning the general election, frequently referring to himself as the "representative of the Seoul metropolitan area." Ahn explained, "The reason the National Assembly structure became like this (a minority ruling) in the last general election is because of the Seoul metropolitan area. We only secured 17 out of 121 seats there, which caused the party to shrink. In every war, the commander must be at the front line, so a commander for the Seoul metropolitan area is necessary."

He added, "What is really important in the Seoul metropolitan area are the moderate voters and the 20s and 30s age groups, and I hold those fixed votes. The fact that I have never run as a Democratic Party candidate but still win by a 20 to 30 percentage point margin in the Seoul metropolitan area is evidence of my broad appeal." Ahn is a three-term lawmaker based in the Seoul metropolitan area, having won twice in Nowon-byeong, Seoul, and once in Bundang-gap, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

Ahn's strategy for winning the Seoul metropolitan area is 'systematic nomination.' He said, "We are paying close attention to about 50 districts where we lost by less than 15 percentage points in the Seoul metropolitan area. I believe that margin can be overcome by nominating candidates with broad appeal through a good nomination system. If that happens, we can secure about 70 seats, making a total of 170 seats." His campaign name is 'V170,' reflecting his goal of winning 170 seats in the general election.

He criticized, "Comparing the last general election to now, nothing has changed, but candidate Kim Ki-hyun claims that the current party constitution and rules represent a systematic nomination. He clearly hasn't read the party constitution and rules properly. There are plenty of things that can be done at will." He added, "The fact that Kim still hasn't presented any policies shows he has no intention of implementing systematic nominations, which will inevitably cause nomination turmoil. Rather, Kim's sole goal is to become party leader at this convention."

Regarding the current party convention's dynamic as a 'pro-Yoon' versus 'anti-Yoon' contest, Ahn expressed regret. Ahn said, "The debate over whether someone is pro-Yoon or not is itself wrong. I think all ruling party members are pro-Yoon." He continued, "The problem is that a small number of people deliberately monopolize the label of pro-Yoon for themselves and label the rest as anti-Yoon. Ruling party lawmakers would lose their seats if the government fails, so who would hope for that?" This is interpreted as a critique aimed at candidate Kim, who emphasizes being pro-Yoon.

Ahn Cheol-soo, People Power Party presidential candidate for the party convention. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Regarding 'alliances' among party leadership candidates, Ahn drew a clear line. Earlier, Cheon Ha-ram, a close aide of former leader Lee Jun-seok, suggested a strategic alliance by inviting Ahn to join a public event to revive the Itaewon commercial district, but Ahn did not participate. He explained, "If there is no runoff vote, alliances happen during the first round of voting, but when there is a runoff, candidates should focus on gathering as many supporters as possible in the first round. If you advance to the runoff as first or second place, alliances form based on the results afterward. People ultimately decide who is more suitable, and alliances don't happen just because candidates shake hands at the top."

Ahn expressed confidence that he will be elected party leader through the runoff vote in this convention. He said, "Recent polls show that neither of the top two candidates has over 50%, and since candidate Kim keeps attacking only me, it shows he considers me his runoff opponent. When the two remain, the strategic judgment shifts to 'who can get more lawmakers elected in the Seoul metropolitan area,' and at that moment, I can win."