“Deep Bow” Return: Ahn Cheol-soo, former leader of the People’s Party gives a deep bow upon his arrival in South Korea, after a year and four months overseas, at the Incheon International Airport on January 19. Lee Sang-hoon, Senior Reporter

Ahn Cheol-soo (58), former leader of the People’s Party, returned to South Korea after a year and four months overseas for another attempt at politics. He said, “I want to create a political party that can move away from a politics of ‘camps’ and realize a practical middle-of-the-road politics.” Ahn’s return to politics is expected to trigger changes in the political circle, including a possible union of the opposition.

Upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport on January 19, Ahn held a press conference and said, “It may be a difficult and lonely road, but I will keep firm to my first thoughts with the wishes of the people who called me seven years ago deep in my heart.”

Ahn’s remark seemed to suggest his determination to create a new party seeking a practical middle route in a “third zone” to overcome the current system of two major parties--the Democratic Party of Korea and the Liberty Korea Party. When asked if he planned to create a separate party, Ahn said, “First, I plan to meet and discuss with the people inside and outside the (Bareun Mirae) party. We will put our minds together and seek the best alternative.” Ahn withdrew from frontline politics after his defeat in the local elections in 2018. He went to Germany and last October moved to the U.S. and stayed at Stanford University as a visiting scholar.

He gave a “deep bow” at the arrival hall and apologized for the merger with the Bareun Party saying, “We created the Bareun Mirae Party with the belief that harmony between the Yeongnam and Honam regions and national integration was necessary, but in the process of the union, we failed to fully consider the views of the People’s Party supporters.”

Ahn said, “At the basis of the problems that the Republic of Korea is facing at this moment lies a politics of exclusion based on the ‘camp argument’ and the past-oriented and incompetent administration of state affairs of the incumbent government.” He further criticized, “On the other side, there is an opposition party that has failed to promote innovation within the party and simply resorted to taking advantage of the ruling party’s losses.” At the same time, he added, “There is no tomorrow for us, if we do not change this structure.” Ahn criticized the government, the ruling party, and the Liberty Korea Party.

He announced that he would not run in the April 15 parliamentary elections. He said, “I came to tell you that the Republic of Korea desperately needs to change, and my goal is to help as many people capable of doing this in the next parliament enter the National Assembly.”

As for joining the Committee for the Promotion of Innovative Integration, which is discussing a union of centrists and conservatives, he drew the line and said, “I am not interested.” He said, “Innovative change is needed in the opposition as well. Turning politics into a one-on-one confrontation of camps is actually what the government and the ruling party wants,” and reaffirmed his plans to seek a separate route.

Ahn will visit the Seoul National Cemetery and the May 18thNational Cemetery in Gwangju on January 20. He chose Gwangju as the first destination outside the Seoul metropolitan area after his return to Korea.

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