In April, Ahn Cheol-soo, then a presidential primary candidate for the People Power Party, and Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate for the Reform Party (on the left), wave their hands before the “AI Science and Technology Supremacy” talk held at the Techno Valley Square in Pangyo, Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Newsis.
On the 4th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, hinted at the possibility of an alliance, stating, “I have been having many discussions about the future with Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party.”
In an appearance on YTN Radio’s “The Interview,” Lee Jun-seok reflected on past tensions with Ahn Cheol-soo during the nomination process in the Bareunmirae Party, when they were jokingly referred to as the “Tom and Jerry” of politics due to their animosity. However, he revealed that their relationship improved when Ahn’s son-in-law turned out to be one of his close friends from high school (Seoul Science High School) whom he spent time with in the United States. Now, their relationship is good.
He further explained that “Ahn Cheol-soo’s actions after the transition period have been very clear and align with my direction” and mentioned that their constituencies, Pangyo (Ahn Cheol-soo) and Dongtan (Lee Jun-seok), are the IT hubs of South Korea, indicating many shared interests. Prior to the presidential election last April, Ahn and Lee also held a discussion on artificial intelligence in Pangyo, Ahn’s constituency.
Additionally, last month on the 19th, during the last TV debate of the People Power Party’s national convention, Ahn Cheol-soo was asked whom he would choose to reinstate if he could bring back only one of Hong Joon-pyo or Lee Jun-seok, to which he replied he would choose Lee Jun-seok.
※This is an online article from Weekly Chosun.