ID :
204936
Fri, 09/02/2011 - 16:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/204936
The shortlink copeid
Fresh figures surface as Seoul mayoral candidates ahead of October by-election
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The race for Seoul mayor is getting increasingly hazy, with two powerful potential candidates with no party affiliations reportedly weighing a run in the upcoming by-election seen as a bellwether for next year's national polls.
The surprise emergence of the two -- Ahn Cheol-soo (Charles Ahn), founder of leading anti-virus software company Ahnlab Inc., and lawyer-turned-civic activist Park Won-soon -- has unnerved both the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).
The Seoul mayorship was vacated late last month when conservative mayor Oh Se-hoon stepped down after failing to block an opposition-led free school lunch program in the city's first-ever referendum.
By law, the Seoul mayoral election should be held on Oct. 26.
Ahn, 50, a doctor-turned-CEO who serves as dean of Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University, is widely popular, especially among young Koreans.
"I have had several chances to participate in politics so far. But I repeatedly turned them down as I thought one individual cannot change (reality)," Ahn told reporters after a lecture in Seoul. "But there are lots of things a mayor can change."
He, however, stopped short of saying whether he has made up his mind to run for the election.
If Ahn chooses to run in the election, he would run as an independent with no party affiliation in line with his efforts to keep a distance from the unpopular political establishments, according to his friends and supporters.
The other potential candidate, Park is also known for his clean and upright image. A self-claimed "social designer," Park, 54, founded the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, one of the country's largest civic organizations, in 1994 with a stated goal of reforming politics through grassroots activism.
He is now the director of private think tank Hope Institute.
Park was not immediately available for comments as he was on a hiking trip. According to his close aides, Park plans to announce his Seoul mayoral bid when he comes back from the trip next week.
The October by-election has drawn close attention as it is widely seen as a litmus test of public sentiment ahead of parliamentary elections next April and the presidential vote in December 2012.
In the ruling Grand National Party, Rep. Na Kyung-won is considered the most popular candidate, far surpassing other potential candidates within the party.
Within the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook is leading opinion polls, while Rep. Chun Jung-bae, a four-term lawmaker and former justice minister, announced his bid.
In a country where nearly one-fourth of its 50 million people live in the capital area, the Seoul mayorship often serves as a key stepping stone for people who are eager to move up the political ladder.
Among them is the incumbent president, Lee Myung-bak, who became popular for his innovative quality-of-life policies and projects while serving as Seoul mayor in the early 2000s.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- The race for Seoul mayor is getting increasingly hazy, with two powerful potential candidates with no party affiliations reportedly weighing a run in the upcoming by-election seen as a bellwether for next year's national polls.
The surprise emergence of the two -- Ahn Cheol-soo (Charles Ahn), founder of leading anti-virus software company Ahnlab Inc., and lawyer-turned-civic activist Park Won-soon -- has unnerved both the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).
The Seoul mayorship was vacated late last month when conservative mayor Oh Se-hoon stepped down after failing to block an opposition-led free school lunch program in the city's first-ever referendum.
By law, the Seoul mayoral election should be held on Oct. 26.
Ahn, 50, a doctor-turned-CEO who serves as dean of Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University, is widely popular, especially among young Koreans.
"I have had several chances to participate in politics so far. But I repeatedly turned them down as I thought one individual cannot change (reality)," Ahn told reporters after a lecture in Seoul. "But there are lots of things a mayor can change."
He, however, stopped short of saying whether he has made up his mind to run for the election.
If Ahn chooses to run in the election, he would run as an independent with no party affiliation in line with his efforts to keep a distance from the unpopular political establishments, according to his friends and supporters.
The other potential candidate, Park is also known for his clean and upright image. A self-claimed "social designer," Park, 54, founded the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, one of the country's largest civic organizations, in 1994 with a stated goal of reforming politics through grassroots activism.
He is now the director of private think tank Hope Institute.
Park was not immediately available for comments as he was on a hiking trip. According to his close aides, Park plans to announce his Seoul mayoral bid when he comes back from the trip next week.
The October by-election has drawn close attention as it is widely seen as a litmus test of public sentiment ahead of parliamentary elections next April and the presidential vote in December 2012.
In the ruling Grand National Party, Rep. Na Kyung-won is considered the most popular candidate, far surpassing other potential candidates within the party.
Within the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook is leading opinion polls, while Rep. Chun Jung-bae, a four-term lawmaker and former justice minister, announced his bid.
In a country where nearly one-fourth of its 50 million people live in the capital area, the Seoul mayorship often serves as a key stepping stone for people who are eager to move up the political ladder.
Among them is the incumbent president, Lee Myung-bak, who became popular for his innovative quality-of-life policies and projects while serving as Seoul mayor in the early 2000s.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
