By Kim So-hyun
The rise of venture entrepreneur-turned-professor Ahn Cheol-soo as a prospective independent candidate in the Seoul mayoral election has added to the disquiet in political parties struggling to keep support ratings from falling further.
Ahn, who has long been wooed by both sides, said Friday that unlike legislators, a mayor can “change many things,” hinting that he would run for mayor of the capital but has no interest in parliamentary or presidential elections.
The dean and professor of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology is expected to announce his plan to run for mayor Friday, when he completes his lecture tour of provincial universities. He told reporters he will announce his position when he makes up his mind after the tour.
On Sunday, a former ruling party lawmaker and election guru presented himself as a political mentor to Ahn, unveiling a plan to organize a new political group that relies on social networking services for election campaigns.
Yoon Yeo-joon, who masterminded some successful election strategies for the Grand National Party in the past, said in a media interview Sunday that he will take charge of Ahn’s preparations for the Oct. 26 by-election if he runs for mayor, seeing the chances of him winning at above 90 percent.
Yoon said he has long observed Ahn, whose company offered antiviral software free of charge for seven years, as a potential presidential hopeful.
In addition to Ahn, Park Won-soon, a widely respected civic activist, is also preparing to run in the mayoral by-election, making the race more unpredictable.
Many in the GNP and the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae are wary that Ahn’s candidacy as an independent would attract voters in their 20s through 40s who have grown tired of the main political parties.
“If Ahn decides to run, it will no doubt deal a blow to both the GNP and the DP,” a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said.
Cheong Wa Dae officials were negative, however, about calls within the GNP to field Prime Minister Kim Hwang-shik as Seoul mayor. Kim, appointed prime minister less than a year ago, said he will not run in the mayoral by-election.
The GNP is yet to narrow down the list of promising contenders which includes Rep. Na Kyung-won, Rep. Chung Doo-un, Rep. Kim Choong-hwan, Rep. Kwon Young-jin, former prime minister Chung Un-chan, Hansun Foundation president Park Se-il and former minister of public administration Maeng Hyung-kyu.
Some within the GNP have talked about bringing in prominent businesspeople such as former Samsung Electronics president Hwang Chang-kyu or ex-chairman of Woori Financial Hwang Young-ki.
GNP chairman Hong Joon-pyo is said to be looking for someone who can represent the values of “true conservatism” and wisely deal with the Democrat-heavy Seoul City Council.
Leaders of the four opposition parties are set to sit down for a round-table discussion on Monday on how to select their mayoral candidate.
In the past five Seoul mayoral elections, an independent garnered a notable number of votes only once in 1995.
Seasoned politician Park Chan-jong received 33.5 percent of votes as an independent then, coming second to Democratic Party’s Cho Soon who got 42.4 percent.
(sophie@heraldcorp.com)