Ahn Cheolsoo: "'Da' Character on Finger Was a Memory Aid... Positive Reactions Instead"

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Ahn Cheolsoo, a member of the People Power Party who declared his candidacy for the party's presidential primary, commented on the attention drawn to the writing on his finger during his campaign launch, saying, "In fact, there have been many positive reactions." On April 10, appearing on TV Chosun's "Jang Wonjun and Kim Miseon's Newstradamus," Ahn addressed the topic of the phrase "Lee Hyojin WonkwangDa" written on the inside of his finger, which became a hot topic after he officially announced his presidential bid on April 8. Ahn explained, "There was a time to introduce the spokesperson, and I didn't want to make a mistake," adding, "I remembered it, but I wrote it down as an auxiliary memory device."

Ahn Cheolsoo, a member of the People Power Party, declared his candidacy for the 21st presidential election on the 8th in front of the statue of Admiral Yi Sunsin at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. While answering questions from the press, the name "Lee Hyojin Wonkwang University" is written on the index finger of Ahn's left hand. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, when Ahn declared his candidacy at Gwanghwamun, a photo showing the six characters written on his finger was shared online, leading to speculation on social networking services (SNS) about whether it had any ritualistic meaning. This drew even more attention because, in the past, former President Yoon Sukyeol appeared at the fifth debate of the People Power Party's presidential primary with the Chinese character "王" (meaning "king") written on his left palm, causing controversy. However, it was soon clarified that the writing on Ahn's finger was the name of a person he intended to introduce, leading to it being described as a "considerate memo."

Ahn's camp, responding to the unexpected controversy, explained, "The writing on Assemblyman Ahn Cheolsoo's hand is 'Lee Hyojin Spokesperson.' It was briefly written to introduce the spokesperson." When asked, "Why did you write only the character 'Da' in Chinese?" Ahn replied, "Writing 'Da' in Chinese characters is quicker and easier than writing it in Korean, so I used the character '大'." When asked, "Comparing the 19th and this 21st presidential election, which do you feel is more hopeful?" Ahn predicted, "This election has a higher chance of victory." He cited former Democratic Party leader Lee Jaemyung of the Democratic Party as the reason. Ahn emphasized, "According to current polls, the regime change rate is about 50%, while Lee's approval rating remains around 35%. I am confident that if the conservatives unite, we can win." He also urged conservative supporters, "Never get discouraged and give up on the election. If even one more person comes out to vote, we can win."

Ahn Cheolsoo, a member of the People Power Party, declared his candidacy for the 21st presidential election on the 8th in front of the statue of General Yi Sunshin at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. While answering questions from the press, the name "Lee Hyojin WonkwangDa" was written on Ahn's left index finger. Lee Hyojin, a professor in the Department of Police Science at Wonkwang Digital University, is the spokesperson for Ahn's campaign. Photo by Yonhap News

Finally, Ahn offered advice to former leader Lee, saying, "Do not run in this election. Go through all five trials and, if you are acquitted in all five, then run." He continued, "The most important thing in an election is for voters to choose the most suitable candidate with full knowledge of the candidates. How can you vote for someone who is facing five trials and whose verdicts are still unknown?" Ahn argued that completing the trials before running is a basic principle of democracy, and added, "Currently, Lee's approval rating is stuck at around 35%, which is due to the many legal risks he faces. I believe that someone like that should not run in the election."