Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, resigned abruptly just five days after accepting the role of Chairperson of the Innovation Committee and officially declared his candidacy for party leader, drawing attention to the circumstances surrounding his decision. Whether he quickly felt the limitations of his role as Chairperson or had been interested in running for party leader from the beginning is known only to Ahn himself.

Ahn, who announced his candidacy for party leader, stated on Facebook on the 10th, “I will boldly introduce a complete party member nomination system (100% member nomination),” and added, “The central party will focus solely on fair and transparent nomination management.” He emphasized, “Those who seek nominations while neglecting local development will have no place in the party.”

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, holds a press conference at the National Assembly's press room in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 7th, declaring his resignation as the chair of the innovation committee and his candidacy for the party convention. /News1

When Ahn was appointed as Chairperson of the Innovation Committee on the 2nd, he expressed his intention not to run for the party leadership and showed enthusiasm for focusing on the committee's work. At that time, he identified “writing a white paper on the presidential election defeat” as a top priority. His plan was to objectively analyze the causes and processes of the People Power Party's defeat in the last presidential election, clarify accountability, and simultaneously prepare reforms for the party's future.

However, over the past weekend, Ahn demanded the ousting of former leadership figures, such as Song Eon-seok, the Chairperson of the Emergency Response Committee and the floor leader, claiming they led efforts to change the presidential candidate, and completely overturned the initial plan of ‘writing the white paper before personnel changes’. Some in the political sphere interpret Ahn's actions as having created grounds for resignation by presenting unacceptable demands to the current leadership.

① Shift to plan B amid concerns over 'pawns in the innovation'

How is Ahn's swift transition from the Chairperson of the Innovation Committee to a candidate for party leader being interpreted in the political realm? Political commentator Choi Soo-young analyzed, “Plan A would have been to carry out the Innovation Committee's activities well and run in the election, but he seems to have quickly shifted to Plan B with the judgment that he could become a pawn (in early elections),” adding, “He appears to have preemptively proposed personnel changes for the sake of building a justification, knowing the demands for the ousting of former leaders would not be accepted.”

Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform Party, also commented, “While Ahn must have accepted the role of Chairperson with a sense of responsibility, he was likely told repeatedly to innovate only within a separate 30-pyeong area drawn in a large playground.”

Ahn explained on the 10th during his appearance on Channel A's Political Signal that the demand for ‘personnel renewal’ was the ‘party sentiment’. He stated, “After it was announced that I was appointed Chairperson of the Innovation Committee, party members from Yeongnam and current members of the National Assembly came to tell me that the first thing we need to do is personnel renewal,” and added, “Given the history of the Innovation Committee so far, it’s only natural.”

② Concerns over Han Dong-hoon’s potential non-candidacy due to overlapping supporters of 'Jung, Su, Cheong'

Han Dong-hoon (from the front row, left to right), Kim Moon-soo, a candidate for the People Power Party's presidential primary, and Ahn Cheol-soo are clapping at the 5th party convention held at KINTEX in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, on the 3rd of May. /News1

Ahn's swift shift to Plan B appears to have been significantly influenced by internal party dynamics. Amid uncertainty regarding Han Dong-hoon's candidacy, Ahn judged that he was competitive among the so-called 'Jung, Su, Cheong' meaning centrist, metropolitan, and youth groups.

If former leader Han does not run, it is interpreted that Ahn could have viable competition against members who have already declared their candidacy, such as Jo Kyung-tae.

While former leader Han is weighing his candidacy, he is reportedly exploring alternative routes, such as running in a by-election, due to the possibility of losing political space if he loses in next year's local elections. He seeks to regroup his forces after entering the national assembly rather than challenging a 'poisonous chalice' like the party leadership.

③ Confidence from being free from the three special investigations tightening on the People Power Party

As the three special investigations (insurrection, Kim Keon-hee, Marine Corps members) targeting the Yoon Suk-yeol administration began to focus on People Power Party members, one of the factors cited for Ahn's confidence in running for party leader is that he remains free from these investigations.

Park Chan-dae, a member of the Democratic Party, has currently proposed a draft law for the so-called 'special law on insurrection'. The bill includes provisions that would prevent parties from receiving government subsidies if individuals found guilty of insurrection or foreign exchange crimes were members of those parties.

In light of this situation, he proactively jumped into the race for party leader to seize the initiative. Analyst Choi Soo-young noted, “In politics, the so-called ‘first strike’ is paramount,” stating that Ahn's actions serve as a card to pressure Kim Moon-soo, a former presidential candidate, and Han Dong-hoon, former leader, who are weighing their candidacies.

However, there are perspectives questioning the procedures surrounding Ahn's abrupt resignation as Chairperson of the Innovation Committee. Professor Lee Jun-han from the University of Incheon stated, “It is unclear whether Ahn accepted the role with the goal of becoming party leader or if he started with pure intentions but encountered the walls of reality and withdrew,” while pointing out that “either way, the procedures were not smooth, and the process was abrupt, leaving questions regarding its success.” He also remarked, “As Chairperson of the Innovation Committee, one should gather the commissioners to demonstrate leadership rather than demanding actions from the emergency committee chair.”

Professor Choi Chang-ryeol from Yongin University stated, “If he had intended to pursue personnel renewal from the beginning, it would have been smoother if he had presented a personnel plan from the moment he received the job offer and said he wouldn't accept the role of Chairperson unless it was accepted.”

◇ Launch of Yoon Hee-sook's innovation committee amid the black hole of early party convention

Yoon Hee-sook, the new chair of the innovation committee of the People Power Party, is speaking at the general assembly held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 9th. /Yonhap News

In the wake of Ahn's sudden resignation, which extinguished the momentum for innovation, the People Power Party appointed Yoon Hee-sook as the new Chairperson of the Innovation Committee. Yoon, recognized as an economic expert representing moderate conservatism, is evaluated as the right person to effect practical change due to her smooth communication with the party leadership.

However, there are considerable skeptical views on how effectively the Innovation Committee can exert practical dynamic power amid the already transitioned situation into an early party convention.

On the 10th, Yoon stated in a conversation with ChosunBiz, “If we hold the party convention in its current state, whoever becomes the candidate will not attract any interest from the public,” adding, “If there is anything I can do to uplift the energy of the party, which is heading towards failure, and realign its course, I will do it.”

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