[Presidential Interview] Ahn Cheolsoo: "No More Anti-Impeachment or Prosecutor Presidents... I Am the Only Choice"

More Support for Impeachment, Anti-Impeachment Candidates Can't Win
A Different President Every Time Since 1987
No More Presidents With Short Political Careers as Prosecutors
AI as a Colleague... Even One Million Talents Are Not Enough
Responding to Tariffs with a Package Deal of Ships and Semiconductors

Ahn Cheolsoo, a lawmaker from the People Power Party and a presidential primary candidate, stated, "Since the 1987 system, we have elected a new president every five years, but we always choose someone with a completely different character and qualities from the previous president." He asserted that, among the pro-impeachment (supporting the impeachment of former President Yoon Sukyeol) candidates, he is the most competitive.

In an interview with Asia Economy at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on April 25, Ahn responded to the question, "The second round of the primary will be decided by 50% party members and 50% public opinion polls. How will you win the support of party members who oppose former President Yoon's impeachment?" by saying, "The focus is shifting to which candidate can defeat Lee Jaemyung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate."

Ahn explained that, as support for impeachment grows in People Power Party polls, anti-impeachment candidates such as former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moonsoo and former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo cannot win, and that Han Donghoon, another anti-impeachment candidate, also has little chance because, like former President Yoon, he is a former prosecutor. Therefore, Ahn argued, he is the only viable option.

Regarding his pledge to foster one million artificial intelligence (AI) talents?a pledge that has recently come under attack from other candidates?Ahn emphasized that, unlike in the first, second, and third industrial revolutions, in the fourth industrial revolution, AI is considered a colleague working alongside humans. "AI is now used everywhere, from education to finance. There is almost no field where it is not used. It is even entering areas like weather forecasting, news reporting, and meteorology, so even one million people are not enough," he said.

As for how Korea should respond to the tariff war declared by the Donald Trump administration, Ahn proposed a "package deal," in which Korea would leverage ships, memory semiconductors, and other goods needed by the United States to negotiate for what Korea needs in return. The following is a Q&A with Ahn Cheolsoo.

Ahn Cheolsoo, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

-There are still many party members who oppose the impeachment of former President Yoon Sukyeol.

▲Those members are rapidly changing their minds. That's exactly why I have a chance to make it into the top two. Among the four candidates, two are anti-impeachment. According to our party's public opinion polls, 60% support impeachment. It is difficult to elect another president who, like Yoon, has a short political career as a prosecutor. In the end, I am the only choice.

-You previously said Han Deoksoo should not run, but later said the "big tent" is open.

▲The most important thing is that Han is the top expert on U.S. tariffs. Even reducing this issue by just 1% per day would mean an enormous amount of money. If he wants to enter politics, it is only natural for him to join the anti-Lee Jaemyung "big tent."

-How will you achieve candidate unification?

▲It depends on when the decision is made, approval ratings, and various circumstances. We will negotiate according to the situation. (After the interview, Ahn expressed the view that it would be fair to compare the results of a one-on-one match-up between the People Power Party's final candidate and Han Deoksoo against Lee Jaemyung, respectively.)

-You said you would increase AI-related research and development to 5% of GDP.

▲That amounts to nearly 100 trillion won. There are four ways the funds will be used. First, to purchase hardware and build AI data centers. Second, to develop software. Third, to invest in facilities and buildings for nurturing talent. Fourth, to invest in the humanities by translating pre-Joseon dynasty content into Korean.

Ahn Cheolsoo, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

-You mentioned fostering one million AI talents. With a population of 50 million, that's a large number. How will you achieve this?

▲The first, second, and third industrial revolutions were about the steam engine, electricity, and IT, respectively. These were tools. Only a few experts needed to use the tools, so not many people were required. But AI is completely different. It is a colleague that works alongside humans. For example, when building cars, if you wear an exoskeleton (wearable robot), you can assemble parts with extreme precision and minimal effort, with no more than a 0.1 mm margin of error. This way, people's jobs are protected while working with AI or robots. I believe this is the direction we should pursue. If we build car factories using only robots, then human jobs will disappear.

-So your intention is not to train a small number of specialists in specific technologies, but to enable many people to use AI?

▲That's why I said one million, not ten thousand. AI is now used everywhere, from education to finance. There is almost no field where it is not used. It is even entering areas like weather forecasting and news reporting, so even one million people are not enough.

-When discussing healthcare reform, you criticized former President Yoon's approach and said it is necessary to first secure allies by amending laws and investing in regional medical centers. What policies should be pursued to achieve healthcare reform without resistance?

▲Those who are the subject of reform must be the ones to carry it out. That means you need to have sufficient discussions and persuade them so that they themselves lead the reform. If you just sit back, who will do it? The problem was a lack of such effort and an overly top-down approach. But doctors are not soldiers.

Ahn Cheolsoo, the People Power Party's presidential primary candidate, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Yoon Dongjoo

-The tariff war is severe. If you become president, how will you resolve it?

▲I am considering a package deal. For example, when Hyundai Motor announced it would invest 31 trillion won in the U.S., Trump was so pleased that he invited them to the White House to give a speech. Watching that, I realized we are being picked off one by one. We gave 31 trillion won, but all we got was a speech in front of the White House. Instead, major companies like Samsung, SK, and LG could say, 'We can invest a certain amount in the U.S.' And there are many weapons systems we need to purchase from the U.S., including state-of-the-art fighter jets. We should bundle together all the ships and memory semiconductors we can provide and make a package deal. We should say, 'We can provide this much to the U.S.?what can you offer us in return?' and negotiate for what we need.

The next president must take the initiative to negotiate on a nation-to-nation basis. In the past, under the free market trade economy, these things happened at the company level, but now, with protectionist policies, each country is only looking out for its own interests. We need to act as a nation.

-The international situation is unstable. What should Korea's role be in this environment?

▲Korea's role is to maintain peace in Northeast Asia in a stable and reliable way. To do this, we must persuade the U.S. to allow us to possess nuclear-powered submarines. Australia was able to acquire nuclear submarines by joining AUKUS (the U.S.-U.K.-Australia security alliance). If we have nuclear-powered submarines, we can intercept nuclear submarines from China or North Korea before they reach the U.S. coast via the Korean Peninsula. Currently, the U.S. handles this. I believe such a deal is possible. It would actually benefit the U.S. by reducing the burden on its military. I am confident we can secure such agreements in defense cost negotiations as well.

Secondly, we must be allowed to use spent nuclear fuel reprocessing technology. Currently, this is prohibited under the Korea-U.S. Nuclear Energy Agreement. After use, spent nuclear fuel is stored in water tanks at nuclear plants, but 98% of the capacity is already full. In three years, there will be nowhere left to store it. This is a serious problem. The reason the U.S. does not permit reprocessing is that it produces plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. However, Japan has been granted permission. We should cite Japan as a precedent and ask for the same permission. If plutonium is the issue, we can monitor it 24/7 with closed-circuit (CC) TV. This is what the Korea-U.S. Nuclear Energy Agreement is about. President Trump has said he wants to renegotiate the Korea-U.S. defense cost-sharing agreement. That could actually work in our favor. We could say, 'We will cooperate on the negotiations, but in return, grant us the right to reprocess nuclear fuel.' That would also benefit the U.S.