Emphasizing One Team, Sharing Reflections on the Party Convention
From General Election Response to Political Course Full of Challenges
With the conclusion of the People Power Party's national convention and the official launch of the 'Kim Ki-hyun leadership,' attention is also focused on the future of Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo, who ranked second in the party representative election. Although he expressed his intention to cooperate with the new leadership by emphasizing 'one team,' there are forecasts that Ahn's position within the party could become unstable as he clashed with the presidential office during the election process.
On the 9th, Assemblyman Ahn shared his thoughts on the national convention through his social media (SNS), saying, "I humbly accept the choice of our party members. The national convention is over. We must now become one team, leaving behind the fierce competition."
He added, "To those who supported me until the end despite my short time in the party, I express my gratitude and also my apologies," and "To meet those expectations, I will not be discouraged and will become stronger."
Kim Ki-hyun, elected as the leader of the People Power Party, is shaking hands with Ahn Cheol-soo at the 3rd Party Convention held on the 8th at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Although he emphasizes 'one team,' considering that he clashed with the presidential office during the election process, many view Ahn's political future as uncertain. The stock price of AhnLab, which is considered an 'Ahn Cheol-soo theme stock,' fell nearly 13% that day.
Throughout the national convention, Assemblyman Ahn maintained an uneasy relationship with the presidential office. A representative example is when the presidential office expressed displeasure at Ahn's remarks about the 'Yoon-Ahn alliance (Yoon Seok-yeol - Ahn Cheol-soo),' leading him to retract the statement. Toward the end, tensions peaked when Ahn reported Kang Seung-gyu, the presidential office's chief of civil society, to the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (PCC) over alleged election interference by the presidential office.
This is why there are predictions that he may not receive party nomination for next year's general election. Former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that "Assemblyman Ahn is in the most difficult position for next year's general election. It seems the party will not give him a nomination," adding, "In my view, Ahn will be mercilessly excluded from nominations. President Yoon Seok-yeol is a formidable figure, isn't he?"
Hong Joon-pyo, mayor of Daegu and a senior party member, also predicted that Ahn might face difficulties after the election. Mayor Hong wrote on SNS, "Assemblyman Ahn currently lives in a rented house, and if the owner asks him to leave, he must return to his original home. Since he clashes with former party leader Lee Jun-seok, whether through the election or otherwise, one of them will find it difficult to run under our party's name next year."
The 'rented house' refers to Ahn's current constituency, Seongnam Gap, where he was elected through a by-election. Kim Eun-hye, the presidential office's chief of public relations who gave up her assembly seat to run for governor of Gyeonggi Province, is expected to return for next year's general election, which means she will have to compete with former leader Lee Jun-seok for the nomination in her old constituency, Nowon Byeong.
However, considering his advantage in appealing to the moderate voters in the metropolitan area for next year's general election, some analyses suggest that there is still room for him to seize opportunities within the party. Attorney Shin Pyeong, known as President Yoon Seok-yeol's 'mentor,' said on BBS's 'Jeon Young-shin's Morning Journal' that "We need to reconsider who else within the People Power Party can absorb the moderate voters as well as Assemblyman Ahn can," adding, "If Ahn had placed third, it would be difficult to give him another chance, but he came in second. He performed well under adverse conditions."
The new leadership also expressed willingness to reconcile with Ahn, stating that harmony is possible except with the 'Lee Jun-seok faction.' Cho Soo-jin, a Supreme Council member, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' "Unless someone engages in low-level attacks or internal backstabbing, I think everyone shares the same thoughts. Except for former leader Lee and the Lee Jun-seok faction representatives, I believe it is easy to find common ground."
Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won also said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "Assemblyman Ahn is a valuable asset to our party," and "Since the national convention showed a lot, I think it has provided an opportunity for him to approach party members sufficiently in the future."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
