Rise of political novice makes veteran politicians scramble ahead of major elections


Although he has yet to officially enter politics, entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo has recently drawn more of the political spotlight than any established politician thanks to his wide public backing.

Although he on Thursday denied speculation that he would create a new party and run in the parliamentary elections next year, observers said that Ahn still might be seriously considering stepping into real politics to realize his ideals for society.

The rise of Ahn as a powerful presidential potential candidate has apparently unnerved political circles, who have struggled to regain public support ahead of general and presidential elections next year.

Some experts say that his rise is an unmistakable message to politicians that the public yearns for a new form of politics that eschews relentless partisan infighting at the expense of the public.

“Politics has a role to address social conflicts. But it has failed to fulfill it and just exacerbated them as politicians are mired in partisan disputes only in pursuit of their own political gain,” said Lee Chung-hee, politics professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

“Against this backdrop, Ahn has emerged. It is not just public support for the individual Ahn. The public has vented its latent displeasure and complaints against established political circles that failed to live up to their expectations.”

Ahn has long enjoyed support from young people who admire his entrepreneurialism, nonpartisanship and willingness to face challenges time and again. Others highly value his pursuit of the public good, shown on a set of occasions.

In the mid-1990s, Ahn developed a computer anti-virus program and distributed it for free, which impressed people in their teens or early 20s at the time. 

Last month, Ahn took another big step with his plan to donate half his stocks worth 150 billion won ($133 million) in AhnLab, the country’s biggest antivirus software firm, to help educate children from low-income families.

His ongoing pursuit of challenges has also drawn keen public attention. Ahn, formerly a medical doctor, founded AhnLab in 1995. Refusing to rest on his laurels, he then entered the academia in 2008.

“What the public values highly about him is his professionalism, which sets him apart from politicians who just talk and talk. His sense of morality and pursuit of the public good has obviously appealed to the public,” said Kim Meen-jeom, politics professor at Kyunghee University.

In some of the recent popularity polls, Ahn is already ahead of former Grand National Party chairwoman Park Geun-hye, who had long been regarded as the frontrunner in the presidential race.

His popularity grew after his donation plan was announced last month. It further increased when the ruling party unilaterally passed the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Pact through parliament after failing to reconcile differences with opposition parties.

In a survey result released on Nov. 21 by the pollster Hangil Research, Ahn was ahead of Park by 7.2 percentage points. In another announced on Nov. 26 by East Asia Institute, he was leading Park by 11.7 points.

“The public wants a new political system. They believe the ruling party and government is part of the ‘ancien regime,’ a term from the French revolution that refers to the old, outdated system,” said Yoon Pyung-joong, political philosophy professor at Hanshin University.

“Park is also regarded part of the ancien regime. And in a broad sense, the main opposition Democratic Party is also part of the old regime.”

Political circles are now closely watching his moves and calculating what kind of impact they would bring about on the political landscape.

Early next year, he plans to publish a book that summarizes his remarks made through a series of tours he has made to reach out to young college students over the past year. Some observers said that the book may contain his political philosophy and could help garner more support from young voters.

Despite growing expectations, some experts pointed out that he needs a period of preparation to become a “professional” politician should he want to survive in the rigid, tough political environment.

“Should he really have any thoughts about participating in politics, he should run in general elections to test himself and experience politics at least for several months before running for the presidential seat,” Yoon said.

“A sudden election of an inexperienced figure is risky and the burden for the citizens and the nation is big. Experience in the political arena is of great importance given that our nation faces challenges for the next five years, including those from North Korea.”

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)