Overnight 2-Day Yangpyeong Pension Trip with Supporters
Handwritten Memo Revealed: "I Am Doing Well"
Fan Club: "Jisa-nim Is Not a Sinner, Let's Be Proud"
A photo of former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung smiling brightly has been released. He posed for the photo with his face resting on his hands like a flower pedestal. Ahead of next year's general election, there are critical views that Ahn is making a public appearance. The Ahn Hee-jung fan club '38seon kkaji Ahn Hee-jung!' released photos of Ahn taken during a 2-day, 1-night pension gathering.
According to Women's Newspaper, on the 2nd, some members of the fan club gathered at a pension located in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, then took a walk at Yongmunsa Temple and had a meal at a nearby restaurant.
The Facebook group '38seon kkaji Ahn Hee-jung!', the fan club of Ahn Hee-jung, released photos of the meeting between the former governor and his supporters.
A person presumed to be the fan club administrator, Mr. A, posted on the group's Facebook on the 3rd a photo of a note saying "Have you been well? I am doing well" along with photos of Ahn. This was posted at 5:47 PM on the 3rd, after the public schedule ended.
Additionally, Mr. A left a message saying, "Yesterday was such a joyful time. It was a weekend like being rich because I was with the governor."
The next day, Mr. A posted again, saying, "Governor Ahn Hee-jung is no longer a criminal. Let's be confident. Our meeting now begins again." On the 6th, a photo was posted showing 19 supporters and Ahn gathered in one place, hinting at a reunion in May next year. The tag 'Waiting for May' was attached.
'38seon kkaji Ahn Hee-jung!' is a fan club established during the 2017 Democratic Party presidential primary. Like the 38th parallel, the last line of defense in South Korea, it means "We will support Ahn Hee-jung until the last moment." Unlike another fan club 'Anayo' which switched to private activities, '38seon kkaji Ahn Hee-jung!' maintains public meetings and communicates with about 1,400 members.
Women's Newspaper reported that the fan club includes politicians connected to Ahn Hee-jung, such as Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Jong-min, classified as part of Ahn's faction, Lee Soon-hee, mayor of Gangbuk-gu from the pro-Roh faction, and Kim Taek-su, former political vice mayor of Daejeon Metropolitan City and a former secretary in the participatory government. It also revealed that Mr. Eo, the former executive secretary of the Chungnam provincial office who publicly apologized for secondary victimization remarks against sexual crime victims, is also a member of the fan club.
Previously, former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison by the Supreme Court on September 9, 2019, for sexually assaulting and molesting his executive secretary by abusing his position. Ahn was released on August 4 last year after serving his sentence and is currently involved in a damages lawsuit with the victim.
Meanwhile, Moon Sang-chul, former head of Ahn Hee-jung's presidential primary campaign team, recently recounted his experiences assisting Ahn closely in his book "The Time of Decline." Moon joined the Chungnam provincial office during Ahn's first term in 2011 and served as Ahn's campaign team leader during the 2017 19th presidential Democratic Party primary. However, after Ahn's sexual assault was exposed in March 2018 while Moon was working in the National Assembly Speaker's office, he supported victim Kim Ji-eun and cooperated with the prosecution's investigation. Moon left politics in May 2020, worked as an executive at a company in the Seoul metropolitan area for about three and a half years, and resigned upon publishing this book.
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