(LEAD) Ahn calls off campaigning activities amid row with Yoon's office

All News 11:07 February 06, 2023

(ATTN: ADDS presidential official's remarks in paras 7-8)
By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a leading candidate in the race for leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), called off all campaign events scheduled for Monday, after the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol openly bristled at his suggestion that he has good "alliance"-like relations with Yoon.

Ahn made the remark during a meeting with party members in the southeastern city of Daegu last week, claiming he is an excellent partner for Yoon and their chemistry is good enough to call their relations the "Yoon-Ahn alliance."

The remark came as whom Yoon supports has increasingly become a key point in the race.

On Sunday, however, Yoon's senior secretary for political affairs, Lee Jin-bok, openly expressed displeasure with Ahn's portrayal of relations with Yoon as an alliance, saying it amounts to saying Ahn is on par with the president.

"How can he say the president is on par with a candidate," Lee told reporters.

Lee also criticized Ahn for suggesting that Yoon is swayed by a core group of loyalists seeking their own personal interests, saying the remark is no different from attacking the president.

Lee delivered Yoon's warning against Ahn to PPP leader Chung Jin-suk, a presidential official said.

After the meeting with Lee, Chung took a swipe at Ahn, saying, "It is not desirable to drag the president and the presidential office into the party election."

The unusually strong rebuff appeared to have stunned Ahn.

On Monday, Ahn's campaign said the candidate has postponed all events scheduled for Monday, such as a visit to underprivileged elderly people living alone and a food distribution event for vulnerable people.

"The schedules have been adjusted to check the situation and contemplate about the way forward," it said.

The campaign said Ahn will resume campaigning Tuesday.

The row came as the leadership race has become increasingly close between Ahn and another leading contender, Rep. Kim Gi-heyon, with the latest opinion poll showing that the two are neck and neck within the margin of error.

Ahn had initially protested the presidential office's rebuff as violating the principle of party democracy but later backed down, saying he will follow the top office's decision if the expression the "Yoon-Ahn alliance" is seen as inappropriate.

Still, Ahn made clear that he will continue to run for party leader.

"I do not exactly understand the facts, but I believe that my efforts were insufficient and plan to keep on striving," he said in a radio interview with MBC, responding to a question on the presidential office's criticism of him.

The party is scheduled to pick a new leader at a national convention March 8.

Yoon's office is closely watching the race as it wants a Yoon loyalist to lead the party through the parliamentary elections next year that will determine whether Yoon would be able to push his agenda in the National Assembly in the remainder of his five-year term until 2027.

Yoon's office is widely believed to be backing Kim.