Lukewarm!

Ahn Cheol-soo, former independent presidential candidate, reacts while giving a speech during the disbandment ceremony for his election campaign headquarters in Gongpyeong-dong, Seoul, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun

Moon’s standing likely to be weakened ahead of Dec. 19 poll

Independent candidate-turned-king maker Ahn Cheol-soo broke out of his mini-hiatus Monday and supported opposition challenger Moon Jae-in over conservative ruling party candidate Park Geun-hye.

However, Ahn’s dry comments felt like a telegraphed endorsement and as he appeared to be more focused on weathering the presidential elections unscathed and navigating his own path. Perhaps, his own political party will debut around the by-elections next year.

Ahn, a computer software guru and influential public speaker, withdrew from the presidential race last month after the talks to merge candidacies with Moon, contending from the Democratic United Party (DUP), ultimately fell through.

“When I announced my intention to withdraw from the race on Nov. 23, I asked you to support the single opposition candidate Moon Jae-in,” the millionaire businessman told a roomful of supporters.

This was the only time Ahn mentioned Moon during his seven-minute speech.

Ahn was significantly more passionate in criticizing the overly negative campaigning of Moon and Park, candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party, and provided more than a few hints that his career in politics has actually just begun.

“While I am no longer a presidential candidate, I am here to express concern on behalf of a worried nation. This is shaping up to be a presidential election of backwardness. (Candidates) are stuck fighting about the past and are reverting to personal attacks and smear campaigning,” he said. Obviously, his attack targeted both Park and Moon.

“I, Ahn Cheol-soo, will continue to work (to be a better politician) and will continue to be with you in the road toward new politics you have paved for me. Nothing, no matter how difficult, will be able to compromise my will to be with you.”

With that, Ahn left without fielding any questions from reporters.

Hwang Tae-soon, a political analyst, said in a cable news program, “It is an expression of support at the level of principle,” pointing out the lack of enthusiasm may be related to Ahn’s ambition to boost his image as an alternative to the established politics.

Lee Chul-hee, also on the same program, said that Ahn would be mistaken, if he thinks his political life would thrive on Moon’s election loss. “He won’t be free from the blame of an election loss,” he said.

Moon has been desperate for Ahn’s pitch as he probably doesn’t have a real shot at toppling Park on polling day without absorbing many of the supporters of his former independent rival. Ahn’s track record as a successful businessman has made him popular with conservative voters as well as liberals.

It remains to be seen whether Ahn’s seemingly half-hearted support of Moon will be enough to reshape the outcome of the Dec. 19 vote. It was Park who had been favored in a three-way race and she continues to lead Moon by a narrow margin in recent opinion polls.

Park and Moon slimmed down their campaigning schedules in preparation of the first of the three presidential debates expected to air on national television from 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Woo Sang-ho, Moon’s spokesman, read a statement expressing gratitude to Ahn for extending his support to Moon. However, his colleagues watching the news conference live on television were reacting to Ahn’s words with sighs and sarcastic laughter moments earlier.

“We are determined to repay Ahn’s support by being successfully in our efforts to change the government,” Woo said at Moon’s campaign headquarters in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

The Saenuri Party offered a colorless reaction to Ahn’s public appearance.

“Former candidate Ahn Cheol-soo’s call for bridging the divided nation and bracing for further economic difficulties has been an agenda item that was consistently highlighted by the Saenuri Party and its candidate Park Geun-hye,” the party said in a statement.

During their talks to merge candidacies, Moon and Ahn frequently saw face-to-face but never eye-to-eye as they consistently quarreled about the method to select the single candidate between them.

The ill-tempered negotiations had liberal voters concerned about the chemistry between the two and all but assured that the union, or whatever it could be called, would be less than the sum of its parts.

Opinion surveys show that Moon is struggling to absorb even half of Ahn’s disillusioned supporters. Around 25 percent of Ahn’s supporters prefer Park over Moon, while the remainder remains undecided. <The Korea Times/Kim Tong-hyung>