Joongangdaily- 121207

Ahn Cheol-soo withdraws his presidential bid

Endorses Moon Jae-in as the liberal candidate after protracted negotiation
안철수 사퇴…긴박했던 하루 살펴보니

Nov 24,2012

Independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo announces he will withdraw his bid for presidential candidacy yesterday at a press conference at his campaign office in Gongpyeong-dong, central Seoul. [NEWSIS] Summary:Almost two weeks have passed since Ahn Cheol-soo withdrew his presidential bid. On November 24, Independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo announced that he will withdraw his bid for presidential candidacy. As candidate Moon and Ahn started negotiating about unifying the candidate into one, they struggled to reach a satisfying agreement. Ahn said “The method for the merger should meet the people’s expectation. However, Moon and I couldn’t narrow down our differences. My last proposal couldn’t lead to an agreement.” But he stated that he will still continue his will for changing Korean administration without any title. It came to a very big shock to candidates, and of course to the people. It is because he was applauded and supported by people because of his achievements and characteristics. He always emphasized people’s upright personality than anything.   Opinion: Ahn’s resignation showed the people’s disappointments with the existing political parties. Those who are responsible for creating a reliable social structure were hurting and betraying the citizens. Now it is time for a turnaround. Recent political parties are more concerned with winning political power than serving the people, and winning the presidential election rather than serving future interests of the country. These days we need a president with a new vision. We do not want presidents who are just busy attacking each other. Next time, I hope we would have a more structured and caring president. And I also want to appreciate to Ahn Cheol-soo for causing a change in the dynamics of the election with only existence.