Moon Jae-in of the Democratic United Party shakes hands with his rival Sohn Hak-kyu during a regional convention for presidential primary in Daegu on Wednesday. (Yonhap News)
DUP frontrunner grabs 11th straight win in presidential primary
Despite consecutive party primary wins, Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party is feeling the heat in his battle against Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo.
The former presidential aide solidified his position as the DUP’s unassailable frontrunner but his victories were often overshadowed by Ahn’s unpredictable moves.
According to a public survey by pollster Realmeter on Tuesday, when asked for a preference between Rep. Moon and Ahn, 44.2 percent preferred Moon, compared to 34.5 percent for Ahn. It was the first time that the lawmaker has beaten the political rookie, though the gap was within the margin of error.
The news, however, was shoved aside when Ahn announced in the afternoon that he would decide on his presidential bid after the DUP finalizes its nomination.
“Within days of the DUP’s candidate selection, I will announce my stance regarding the presidential election,” said his spokesperson Yoo Min-young.
Most politicians and experts took the professor’s words as a prelude to his official candidacy.
The DUP was disturbed by Ahn’s unexpected announcement, though it tried to shrug off the implications.
“Ahn will act upon his thoughts and rules, while the DUP will continue to pursue its goals,” said the party’s spokesperson Park Yong-jin.
This was not the first time that Moon lost public attention to his probable rival.
The lawmaker safeguarded his lead in the crucial South Jeolla primary last Thursday, scoring his eighth consecutive victory.
The nation was, however, jolted by the announcement of Geum Tae-seop, lawyer and close aide to Ahn, who claimed that Rep. Park and the Saenuri Party posed threats to stop Ahn from joining the race.
Also, Moon’s ratings even fell under the 10 percent line back in July, after Ahn published his book “Ahn Cheol-soo’s Thoughts” and appeared in a popular television program.
“It could be a mere coincidence but we are perplexed by the fact that Ahn would repeatedly overshadow Moon’s achievements,” said an official of Moon’s election camp.
Meanwhile, Moon once again emerged victorious in the North Gyeongsang primary on Wednesday, by taking 56.93 percent of the valid ballots.
It is the general consensus that neither Moon nor Ahn will have a chance against the right-wing unless they unite their candidacy and bring the liberal voters together.
The DUP is scheduled to pick its candidate this Sunday or in a runoff election on Sept. 23, in case frontrunner Moon fails to win over 50 percent of the total votes.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
