Ahn Cheolsu: "If Elected Party Leader, Will Implement Best Reform Proposal... Jeon Hangil Should Form Separate Party"

Ahn Cheolsu: "The Emergency Committee Seems to Be Avoiding Reform Proposals Too Much"
"Leadership Elected at the National Convention Must Implement Reforms Quickly"
"Jeon Hangil Must Be Expelled"... Criticism of Kim Moonsoo and Jang Donghyuk

Ahn Cheolsu, a member of the People Power Party who is running for party leader, stated, "If I become the leader, I plan to compare the two reform proposals (the Ahn Cheolsu and Yoon Heesuk proposals) and select the better one to implement." In an interview on SBS Radio's "Kim Taehyun's Political Show" on the 24th, Ahn said, "I feel truly regretful because the emergency committee seems to be giving the impression of avoiding the reform proposals too much," expressing his concerns.

Ahn Cheolsu, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Ahn emphasized, "In the end, the only way is for the party leader elected at the national convention to take the lead in reform," adding, "The power elected through the national convention must move much faster than before, carry out reforms, win back the attention of the people who have turned away from the party, and gain their trust."

Regarding the upcoming national convention, Ahn defined it as "not an ideological battle between the far-right and rational conservatives, but rather a confrontation between reform and anti-reform." He said, "Anyone who believes the party must be reformed and move toward the future should quickly decide to run, present their reform proposals to the party members at this convention, and compete with one another," stressing, "That is the path to developing the party."

Regarding the proposal by fellow leadership candidate Cho Kyungtae for a "single reform candidate," Ahn drew a line, saying, "Since there will be a runoff vote, even without proactively forming alliances, voters will naturally consolidate around one candidate."

Regarding the lunch meeting scheduled for that day with Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon, Ahn explained, "The suggestion to meet came from his side," and added, "As I am continuously meeting with reform-minded figures, I plan to exchange opinions with Mayor Oh on the direction he thinks the party should take, the reform proposals he has in mind, and also on the current public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area."

Meanwhile, regarding Jeon Hangil, who has been at the center of controversy after joining the People Power Party, Ahn emphasized, "Expulsion is necessary." He pointed out, "It is healthy for a party to have a certain spectrum, but even that has its limits," and added, "If we try to expand by greedily reaching into areas outside those boundaries, it can actually cause conflict."

Ahn argued, "If we accept those people unconditionally, about 20% of rational conservatives could leave, causing the party to shrink further," and insisted, "It would be more desirable for people with similar views to form a separate party and be active there." In contrast, regarding leadership candidates who are supportive of Jeon's joining, Ahn said, "They are saying not to sever ties with former President Yoon Sukyeol or with the emergency martial law," and warned, "If that happens, it will take us further away from becoming the kind of mass party or nationwide party that many members desire."

Jeon Hangil, former Korean history instructor who joined the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, Jeon Hangil attended the "Path of the New Right" forum hosted by leadership candidate Jang Donghyuk on the 15th. Regarding this, Jang said, "Everyone who attended the forum has supported the People Power Party so far and fought harder than anyone else for the people during the impeachment crisis," and defended Jeon's presence by adding, "Just because people with different views from mine attended the forum, saying that those who fought together before should not come near us now because we lost the presidential election is not the attitude a conservative party should display."

Another leadership candidate, former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moonsoo, asserted, "The party has already embraced Jeon as one of our members," and claimed, "There is no basis for calling him 'far-right.'" He further added, "Trying to arbitrarily exclude someone is not the proper attitude for a democratic party."