Ahn Cheol-soo, a candidate for the People Power Party's presidential primary, said on the 20th, "A candidate opposed to impeachment who betrays the Constitution and a candidate caught in the prosecutor regime frame will inevitably fail," adding, "We must strategically choose a candidate who can win."
On this day, Ahn hosted a press conference at the National Assembly communication center, stating, "Only I, Ahn Cheol-soo, can win. I will defeat Lee Jae-myung and achieve victory."
The People Power Party will narrow down four candidates for the second primary through a '100% public opinion poll' on the 21st and 22nd.
Ahn criticized, "It is a betrayal of the liberal democratic Constitution and the rule of law to side with those who have been impeached for unconstitutional and illegal acts without reflection or remorse."
He noted, "It is a path that will be trapped in the frame of 'military coup endorsing party' throughout the presidential election period and will harmonize with Lee Jae-myung's presidential strategy of 'Lee Jae-myung vs. Yoon Seok-youl.'"
He condemned, "Candidates linked to 'Yoon's heart' and 'Yoon-pick' are candidates who have given up on the presidential election in pursuit of vested interests after the tremendous defeat, and candidates who only advocate against impeachment are only reinforcing Lee Jae-myung's bulletproof vest."
He emphasized, "No matter what happens, we must prevent Lee Jae-myung from taking power," stating, "The victory in the presidential election lies in expanding our base. We need to gather at least one more vote from the centrist and youth groups to win."
Ahn also pressured, mentioning the fact that Jeon Kwang-hoon, a pastor, announced his candidacy for the presidential election as a candidate for the Free Unification Party the day before, saying, "Candidates Na Kyung-won, Kim Moon-soo, and Hong Joon-pyo, who walked the path of the extreme right alongside Pastor Jeon during the impeachment period, must clearly state their positions now."
He argued, "Silence is complicity, and ambiguity is complicity," adding, "If you still follow Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon's thoughts and cannot sever ties with him, then go to Jeon Kwang-hoon's party and run in the primary."
To former President Yoon, he said, "Please admonish and persuade these individuals," adding, "For the sake of South Korea and for conservatism, we must not remain silent any longer."
Meanwhile, immediately after the press conference, Ahn expressed to reporters regarding candidate Han Dong-hoon, "Exactly three years ago, a president from a prosecutor background with insufficient political ability was born, but ultimately failed," and stated, "I think it would be much better for both the party and the country if he accumulated more political experience before running for president."
He advised, "It would be preferable to run for re-election in the National Assembly or as a local government head first and then challenge the next presidential election."