Professor Ahn Cheol-soo is regarded by many as having virtually declared his bid for the presidency when he published a book on his political and economic views last Thursday. Yet, he neither confirms nor denies that his intention to run in the December election. Nor does he mention when he will make what he calls the “lonely decision” on his candidacy.

His vagueness, which has continued since he abandoned his desire for the Seoul mayoralty in support of the like-minded Park Won-soon last year, is undoubtedly irksome to his potential rivals, as it is fanning curiosity and, by doing so, drawing public attention to him.

His critics, some of them regarding it as a cunning election strategy, are calling on the Seoul National University professor to say, now and in unmistakable terms, whether or not to make a bid for the presidency. Among them is Rep. Park Geun-hye, an undisputable frontrunner for nomination by the ruling Saenuri Party, who said Friday, “If he is thinking of running in the presidential election, he has to unambiguously say so to the public now.”

It is not just his detractors that demand his forthrightness. Some of his supporters also call for it, but for a different reason. They claim it will serve him better if he declares his candidacy and starts to elaborate his policy directly to the electorate, with not much time left until election day.

But what appears to be his strategic ambiguity works well for him. He trails closely behind Park in opinion polls even though he has yet to commit himself to candidacy. If so, he has every reason to delay his public announcement until the moment he considers, appropriate while making himself close to the electorate at his own pace. That seems to be what he intends to do.

Ahn, who was a medical doctor before becoming an antivirus software developer and a professor, will appear on a late-night talk show to be aired by the SBS on Monday. News reports say he is also planning to launch a lecture series and embark on a book promotion tour.

Instead of urging him to change his mind, his rivals will do well to look into the policy proposals contained in his book to develop a campaign strategy against him. Some of them, including his proposal to approach national unification not as a one-time event but as a process of bringing the estranged two halves together, merit scrutiny.