Pays respects to late conservative presidents skipped by Moon


Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo launched his campaign Thursday with a visit to Seoul National Cemetery, as his campaign team began to take shape, including a key opposition figure as its chief.

Accompanied by aides, Ahn paid his respect to former presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee and Kim Dae-jung, POSCO founder Park Tae-joon and fallen soldiers.

“There are two reasons for those holding public posts to pay respect at the National Cemetery. It is to learn the history, and to inherit the meritorious deeds while making right the errors,” Ahn told reporters at the site.

Paying respect at the National Cemetery has long been a prerequisite course for presidential candidates as their first official agenda item. The ruling Saenuri Party’s Rep. Park Geun-hye and the main opposition Democratic United Party’s Rep. Moon Jae-in. Moon, however, had skipped visiting the graves of presidents Rhee and Park, saying that their authoritarian rules were yet to be condoned.

Ahn’s visit to all past presidents resting at the site regardless of their political affiliation was considered to be a move to highlight the “harmony” message underscored during his announcement of the presidential bid Wednesday.

His tribute to the grave of Park Tae-joon, meanwhile, was considered as an honorary gesture toward the legendary businessman, whom Ahn has long shown respect for. Ahn was also an outside director for the steelmaker between 2005 and 2011.

Alongside the former professor was Park Sun-sook, who just defected from the DUP the same day to oversee Ahn’s election activities. Also present were Ahn’s chief secretary Cho Gwang-hui, spokesmen Jeong Yeon-soon and Yoo Min-young and vice spokeswoman Lee Sook-hyeon, a former journalist.

Ahn’s appointment of Park Sun-sook, a former secretary-general of the DUP, as his chief campaign manager was considered a blow to the main opposition party.

Often dubbed the key strategist for the DUP, Park had headed a working-level team for the alliance of the opposition forces in the April 11 general elections. She also served as communications secretary and spokeswoman during the Kim Dae-jung administration, and as vice environment minister during the Roh Moo-hyun government. Park is also a member of Minpyeongryeon, a gathering of supporters of late pro-democracy activist Kim Geun-tae, a key political forefather of the DUP.

Mindful of the explosive impact Ahn’s bid is bringing, the DUP’s Moon met with the party’s supreme councilors in the morning and said, “I am confident that I will win against both Ahn Cheol-soo and Park Geun-hye in the presidential election.”

“If I was not confident, I would not have bothered to run,” he added.

The former presidential chief-of-staff also assured that he would stand at the fore in assembling the progressive votes, saying, “As long as the party changes properly throughout the competition, (we) will for certain also win in the competition in the union (with Ahn).”

After the tribute visit, Ahn offered his views on the past presidents, upon which he also indirectly prodded his Saenuri rival.

Ahn said the country’s foundation of industry were prepared under the rule of President Park Chung-hee, the late father of Park Geun-hye, but at the sacrifice of too many laborers and farmers. He added that privatizing power beyond the legal system could not be justified in any way.

“We need self-examination of the past at this juncture where we can either go toward a new future by overcoming the dark legacies of the industrialization era or fall behind. I therefore believe introspection is the first step toward reconciliation and harmony,” Ahn said, apparently referring Park Geun-hye, who has been criticized for sidestepping questions about her father’s iron-fisted rule.

He also described President Kim Dae-jung as a pioneer in democracy, human rights and inter-Korean relations, but that under his government, the nation survived the economic crisis but became more polarized.

“I will learn from the mistakes of the past and also learn and inherit the accomplishments of the past to become a good president.”

In the afternoon, Ahn visited Seoul National University to submit his resignation as the dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology. He then wrapped up his second day as politician with a farewell party at Ahnlab, which he founded and has remained affiliated with as the chairman of the board of directors.

The entry by the popular philanthropist to the politically charged presidential race was seen as an outlet of the public’s anger toward the established parties.

Following his long-awaited presidential bid, Ahn enjoyed rising popularity ratings, proving to be a tough contender against the candidates of the major parties.

A poll by JTBC and Realmeter on 1,500 respondents on Tuesday and Wednesday this week showed Park Geun-hye in the lead with 35.7 percent, followed by Ahn with 26.5 percent, and Moon 24.3 percent.

It was a 4.0 percentage points surge for Ahn from the same survey conducted earlier in the week. The ratings for Park and Moon, meanwhile, dropped by 2.9 and 1.8 percentage points, respectively.

Questions, in the meantime, were cast over whether Ahn’s ultimate destination would be an alliance with the DUP to go up against conservative frontrunner Park Geun-hye.

Lawyer Keum Tae-sup, a close associate of Ahn, indicated during a radio interview that an alliance, even in the form of Ahn joining the DUP, was possible if the preconditions set by Ahn were met.

“The support toward Ahn who does not belong to any party is not for him to become a candidate through a primary by entering a party, but to change the existing parties and the political circles to a point where people can trust them,” Keum said.

Ahn had said in his bid that a union with the DUP must come upon the change and reform of the politics and the consensus by the people.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)