Independent presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, a founder of South Korea’s biggest anti-virus software maker, announced a sudden withdrawal from the South Korean presidential race at a press conference held on Nov. 23, 2012, due to decreasing support and hardships in unification negotiations.
At a press conference held just a few hours after a prolonged and troublesome negotiation of candidate unification of opposing parties between Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo, many loyal supporters of Ahn and reporters appeared to heed Ahn’s words.
“I am relinquishing my role as a candidate. My becoming the president to bring in a new politics is important, but a politician keeping the promises he made to the public is the most important value of all,” Ahn calmly stated at a press conference.
Then he continued, “The unified candidate of opposition parties is now Moon Jae-in, so reprimand me for all the discord during the process, and give Candidate Moon your support.”
Ahn, shedding tears, didn’t forget to mention that he will, despite of his withdrawal, return as a politician to bring new changes to current government.
To this unpredicted withdrawal, Moon Jae-in, a competing presidential candidate and now a unified presidential candidate, commented “I really do owe him, I feel sorry yet thankful that he made this decision.”
He then continued on the internet by tweeting “I am truly sorry for Candidate Ahn and his supporters.”
Moon Jae-in, a unified candidate of opposition parties, is projected to compete against Park Geun-hye of the ruling New Frontier Party.
