Saenuri readies fire power; DUP’s Moon drafts campaign team
Tense anticipation was felt among the political parties Tuesday as they braced for popular professor Ahn Cheol-soo’s imminent announcement on his presidential bid.
A bid by Ahn as expected would officially mark the start of a three-way race. The independent political rookie has been posing a serious threat to the ruling and opposition candidates in various polls for months.
The ruling Saenuri Party was seen preparing for a two-pronged attack on the main opposition Democratic United Party’s presidential candidate Rep. Moon Jae-in and Ahn, whose potential alliance poses a major threat to its candidate Rep. Park Geun-hye.
The DUP appeared relatively calmer after spending the first day of the week calling for an alliance between Moon and Ahn. Moon also revealed the initial make up of his planning team that will set up the presidential election committee and devise campaign strategies.
The team will not have a chief, and instead be co-run by the members including three-term lawmakers Noh Young-min and Park Youngsun, former Rep. Kim Boo-kyeom and civic activist-turned-lawmaker Lee Hack-young.
“If the existing planning team were operated on a vertical structure under a chief, Moon’s team will be a horizontal organization where every member is a representative as well as a member,” said Rep. Jin Sun-mee, Moon’s spokeswoman.
Additional external members will be announced within a day or two with the goal of forming the election committee before the Chuseok holidays next week, she said.
Ahn, who has been enjoying high popularity despite his political reticence, is considered to be vital for the DUP to win against frontrunner Park Geun-hye in the Dec. 18 race.
Ahn’s spokesman said Monday he will speak on the election bid Wednesday at the Salvation Army art hall in Seoul at 3 p.m.
The 540-seat venue is likely to be filled with Ahn’s associates, supporters and journalists to hear the Seoul National University professor finally confirm his political ambitions.
For the time being, the Saenuri’s point of attack against Moon is his biggest asset as well as liability, late President Roh Moo-hyun.
As former chief-of-staff and chief secretary on civil affairs for Roh, Moon cannot avoid his responsibility for the past failures of the Roh administration, the Saenuri Party argues.
The party’s emphasis on Moon’s supporters as being pro-Roh is in line with its “Roh’s shadow” talking point.
“It is a little bit pitiful to see (Moon) repeat what former President Roh Moo-hyun has done in order to achieve his political purpose. If Moon showed gestures, like Park, to embrace all people, the public would feel less anxious,” said Saenuri Rep. Kim Jae-won in a radio interview.
He was referring to Moon skipping the graves of former presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee during his visit to the Seoul National Cemetery on Monday.
Moon later said on Twitter that he was more than willing to pay respects at the graves of the past presidents criticized for their authoritarian rule if there was “sufficient reflection on the past.”
The DUP has been upping the ante against Park for sidestepping apologies for oppression by her father Park Chung-hee.
For the Saenuri Party, Ahn is considered an easier target, because Moon, a former student activist, contrasts drastically with Park in terms of personal and ideological history, according to multiple sources.
If Ahn becomes the candidate of the opposition forces through a union with Moon, the Saenuri believes it would also provide an additional point of attack over the DUP’s failure to field its own candidate.
“I even feel somewhat compassionate for the DUP that must start discussing plausible alliances immediately after electing its own presidential candidate,” Saenuri secretary-general Rep. Suh Byung-soo said during a floor meeting.
Once Ahn officially joins the race, the Saenuri is expected to attack the software guru on various ethical questions such as his past real estate and investment dealings.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
