[Newsmaker] Ahn seen reviving presidential ambition

Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo

Independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a former presidential candidate considered a “sleeping dragon” of Korean politics, appears to be speeding up the process of establishing his own party ahead of next year’s local elections.

On Monday, Ahn took to the podium of the National Assembly’s briefing room for the first time since his election office in April to call for a special probe into alleged election meddling by government agencies.

“I think that a comprehensive investigation conducted by a special counsel is the only way to unearth the truth,” Ahn said. He went on to say that he doubted whether the government intends to get to the bottom of the issue.

The move has been seen as signaling to Ahn assuming a more active role within the National Assembly as he prepares to launch his own party.

While Ahn has repeated only that he will make his plans known when the time comes, unnamed associates of Ahn have been quoted by the local media as saying that a preparation committee for launching a new party will be established within the month.

The renewed friction between the two sides of Ahn and Democratic Party Rep. Moon Jae-in has been interpreted by some as a sign of growing unease within the established progressive bloc at the prospects of a new party.

On Thursday, Moon’s former campaign aide Rep. Hong Young-pyo claimed in his book that Ahn had made unreasonable demands while negotiating the merger of his and Moon’s campaigns last year. The claims were immediately refuted by Ahn’s associates who accused the DP’s pro-Roh Moo-hyun lawmakers as seeking to shift the blame for the election defeat.

Regardless of Ahn’s plans, recent survey results indicate that the former academic continues to have significant influence on public opinion.

A survey conducted by Realmeter from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 showed that a party launched by Ahn would receive a 23.3 percent support rate, while the Saenuri Party and the Democratic Party would take 41.9 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)