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Ahn’s new party named ‘People’s Party’

January 8, 2016
Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo poses in his office in Seoul, Friday, after announcing that his new party to be launched by early February will be named the "People's Party." (Yonhap)

Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo poses in his office in Seoul, Friday, after announcing that his new party to be launched by early February will be named the “People’s Party.” (Yonhap)

By Kim Hyo-jin

Independent lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo’s new party that will be formed by early February will be named the People’s Party.

After ideas were collected from the public Jan. 1-6, the name was announced by the preparatory committee, which has been tasked with launching the party in time to field candidates for the April 13 general elections.

The announcement came hours after Ahn added the final piece to the committee.

Yoon Yeo-jun, Ahn’s political mentor and former environment minister under the Kim Young-sam administration, accepted Ahn’s offer to co-chair the committee, Ahn’s aides said.

Yoon will head the preparatory committee with Han Sang-jin, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, who accepted the offer the day before. The committee is scheduled to be set up on Sunday.

“Ahn appointed two heads, one a rational progressive and the other a reformist conservative, considering they will be well-balanced together,” said Lee Tae-gyu, an official of Ahn’s camp.

Rep. Kim Han-gil, who with Ahn co-founded the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), joined Ahn’s camp on Thursday, adding more momentum to the party’s preparation. The main opposition NPAD recently changed its name to the Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK).

The decision of the veteran politician Kim, who led a large group of lawmakers in a minority faction of the MPK, is expected to encourage more legislators from the no.1 opposition to defect to the new party.

MPK Rep. Kim Young-hwan left the party the following day, saying he will join Ahn’s new party on Friday.

Rep. Ahn left the opposition party in mid-December following a power struggle with its chairman Moon Jae-in, denouncing it as divided by factional feuds.

Following his departure, some lawmakers in opposition to the Moon-led faction also followed suit, reducing the party’s number of parliamentary seats from 127 to 117.