People Power Party Semifinal Debate: The Final Four
Ahn Cheolsoo Responds, "Will We Elect Another Former Prosecutor?"
Han Donghoon Fires Back, "Ten Years of Just Switching Parties"
On April 26, Representative Ahn Cheolsoo, a presidential hopeful from the People Power Party, and former party leader Han Donghoon engaged in a war of words over AI policy. Ahead of the June 3 presidential election, Ahn has pledged to nurture one million core science and technology talents, while Han has promised to train 10,000 AI specialists.
During a semifinal debate held at the MBN studio in Jung-gu, Seoul, Han responded to Ahn’s mention of "training 10,000 AI specialists," saying, "That’s a symbolic number," and argued, "There aren’t that many AI experts in the world. We need to bring in as many highly qualified professionals as possible."
He added, "Representative Ahn has talked a lot about training people in his pledges, but there are unrealistic aspects that are disappointing." Previously, as one of his "top 10 campaign pledges," Ahn had promised to make South Korea one of the world’s top three AI powers by 2035 and to nurture one million core science and technology talents.
In response, Ahn cited France’s IT training institution "Ecole 42" as an example, saying, "We can create new educational institutions to train talent," and clarified, "It’s not one million people every year."
However, Han questioned, "Where are you going to get one million core talents?" and pointed out, "Only several hundred thousand babies are born each year." He further pressed, "What is the quality or level of the science and technology talent you’re referring to? Are you talking about people with bachelor’s or doctoral degrees who understand science and technology?"
Ahn criticized Han for being a former prosecutor with little political experience, but Han fiercely countered by bringing up Ahn’s frequent changes in party affiliation.
Ahn asked Han, "Whenever we’ve elected a new president in our country, we’ve always chosen someone with a different image from the previous president. Former President Yoon Sukyeol, a prosecutor with little political experience, ended up failing after just three years. Do you think there’s a possibility that we’ll elect another prosecutor with little political experience?"
Han shot back, "Representative Ahn has been in politics for more than ten years and has changed parties many times. The public will not respond positively to a long political career like yours."
He continued, "Even though my political career is short, I defeated the Democratic Party in the fight over the financial investment tax, blocked cryptocurrency taxation, achieved a come-from-behind victory in the Geumjeong election, and courageously fought by pointing out former President Yoon’s mistakes. Most importantly, I prevented the imposition of martial law. What kind of politics have you practiced over the past ten years?"
Ahn concluded, "In the end, I see that all you’ve done is what former President Yoon ordered you to do as a prosecutor."
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