Independent presidential hopeful Ahn Cheol-soo said Tuesday that if he becomes the standard bearer for the liberal camp, his campaign will rally around the main opposition Democratic United Party to win the December poll.
In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, the 50-year-old entrepreneur-turned-politician said there will be a need to reflect the wishes of all people who supported the liberal cause.
The comments come as Ahn is engaged in talks with DUP candidate Moon Jae-in to decide who should compete against ruling Saenuri Party contender Park Geun-hye in the Dec. 19 presidential vote.
"Such amassing of support can be centered on the DUP and I will do my part in such an endeavor," he said.
Ahn said if he is elected president, the main opposition party will become one of his main partners.
The founder of AhnLab, the country's largest anti-virus computer software company, said his one-on-one talks with the DUP candidate earlier this week did not touch on his possible party affiliation, an indication that he would stay on as an independent.
He stressed that no matter who is named the unified candidate representing the liberal camp, the most important thing of all is to hold onto the support that has been given to the two liberal candidates before the merger took place.
He, however, expressed concerns that if Moon becomes the liberal camp's unified candidate, some of his supporters who are disenchanted with party politics in general, may withdraw their support for the opposition candidate.
"That is something that worries me," he said, adding that voters who want a transfer of government power to the opposition will take such a matter into account when they support either him or Moon in the single candidacy race.
The two candidates agreed to merge their bids by Monday, which is the deadline for candidacy registration.
As to the possibility that the single candidacy issue may have to be settled through one-on-one showdown with Moon, he did not rule out such a possibility, but made very clear that he will not voluntarily concede the role of candidate.
"I am a candidate chosen by people and am standing here because of the wishes of the public," he claimed, adding that he can't decide his destiny on his own.
Despite some difficulties, Ahn said he and Moon will be able to reach agreement on unifying their candidacies before the Monday deadline.
"I am not really thinking of anything that may happen after Nov. 26," he said, adding that if all sides approach the talks in a fair and objective manner, any challenges can be overcome.
He brushed off criticism that he has no experience in public office by pointing out that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who faced similar criticism, was eventually elected president and later won a second term in office.
"In that respect I have confidence (that I can do well)," he said.
He added that while some may stress that the ruling party candidate has more experience in politics, it is a fact that she, too, has never been president.
"The reason why people have consistently supported me for the past year is because I have adapted myself well to politics and earned the trust of the people," Ahn said.
He, meanwhile, said that Korean society has changed to the point that politicians must keep notice of what the public wants at all times and hinted that action must be taken in regards to a joint political reform declaration that outlines the adjustment of total number of lawmakers in parliament.
Adjusting the number of sitting lawmakers is a sensitive issue, but Ahn has said this can show politicians are serious about making sacrifices and surrendering vested interests.
In the case he loses the single candidacy race, he said, he still plans to stay in politics.
"No matter who wins, the loser will have to support the eventual candidate and if he wins the election, the government that will be formed afterwards," Ahn said.
"There will be things for me to do," he said, although he did not elaborate on running for a seat in the national assembly or other government posts. (Yonhap News)
