[Hot Interview] An Byeong-jin, the perennial opposition's harsh critic, explains why he became Jang Hye-young's sponsorship chairman

Need to Pay More Attention to Issues Like the Climate Crisis
"Democratic Party Seems Like Watching 'Trump's Republican Party'"

Professor Ahn Byung-jin (58) of Kyung Hee University’s Future Civilization Institute, who has been critical of the opposition parties including the Democratic Party of Korea, has taken on the role of a sponsorship chairman for a political figure for the first time. Alongside Jeong Seong-heon, chairman of the Peace Life Hill Foundation, and writer Lee Seul-ah, he has agreed to serve as a sponsorship chairman for Jang Hye-young, a 38-year-old member of the Green Justice Party running in the Mapo-gu Eul electoral district in Seoul. Having expressed concerns and disappointment about the political sphere, he now feels a sense of 'excitement' and urges greater attention to transformative future values such as the climate crisis.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

You have taken on the role of sponsorship chairman for Representative Jang Hye-young. What is the reason?

▲ Until now, I have never openly declared support for anyone nor taken on the role of sponsorship chairman. However, we are currently in a great era of transformation, yet future agendas like the climate crisis are not becoming major issues. Looking at the political scene, I felt like I didn’t want to vote for either side, but I saw Representative Jang as someone leading the future agenda. I stepped forward hoping that topics like what the next values are and what leadership means would become a focus. After the general election, the political scene will shift toward the 2027 presidential election, and it would not be good to see the same 86-generation competing again. I hope that people like Representative Jang, Representative Park Yong-jin, former Representative Kim Hae-young, and Representative Lee Jun-seok will step up and gain attention by promoting the next agenda, values, and generational identity.

What are Representative Jang’s strengths?

▲ We were friends even before she became a member of the National Assembly. After she became a lawmaker and said she would join the Planning and Finance Committee, I tried to dissuade her because it is a highly specialized area. However, when Representative Jang sharply pointed out the collusive structures within the existing political sphere, she surprised Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Deputy Prime Minister Choo Kyung-ho. She demonstrated her capability. Later, I apologized for my earlier misjudgment. Also, her party is the party of the late senior No Hoe-chan. She embodies agendas like the Anti-Discrimination Act and has shown leadership on climate issues. If she had been involved in politics in the U.S., she would probably have become a star like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 36-year-old U.S. Congresswoman.

You seem very disappointed with the current political sphere.

▲ After returning to Korea in the early 2000s, I have been involved with the Democratic Party and the Justice Party quite a bit. Although there were limitations, these parties always considered values through figures like Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun. They thought about more humane values, but now the Democratic Party seems like the Republican Party under former President Trump in the U.S. Whenever there was a need for criticism within the Democratic Party, I was called upon, and I even wanted to talk about 'boycotting elections.' That has never happened before. The Democratic Party has become similar to the Republican Party, which has become a private party of Trump. From a political science perspective, when progressives innovate, conservatives who seek stability also innovate. As Representative Cho Kuk and the leader of the Innovation Party have said, innovation is not about increasing the number of impeached lawmakers but about protecting the traditional values the Democratic Party has cherished while embracing the agendas of future generations.