2 pres. candidates wooing backers of ex-opponent Ahn

With the proportion of swing voters increasing an estimated 7 percent after independent Ahn Cheol-soo’s withdrawal from the presidential race last week, the election camps of both the ruling and main opposition parties` candidates are battling to woo Ahn`s former backers.

Considering that Park Geun-hye, the standard-bearer of the ruling Saenuri Party, and her main opposition rival Moon Jae-in are in tight race within a margin of error according to opinion polls, whom the 7 percent will end up supporting is expected to determine the winner of the Dec. 19 election.

In Park’s camp, Ahn Dae-hee, chairman of Saenuri`s political reform special committee, said, “Seventy to 80 percent of (Ahn’s political reform plans) are similar in orientation to those of our party.” Ahn Hyeong-hwan, spokesman for Park`s election camp, also said Tuesday, “Political reform plans proposed by former candidate Ahn is the gist of the people’s aspirations for new politics dubbed ‘the Ahn Cheol-soo syndrome,’ and we are gearing up to actively embrace them. Ahn’s speech announcing his withdrawal from the election vividly showed his sense of despair and disappointment over candidate Moon. It will be difficult (for Ahn) to support the Democratic United Party.”

Critics have blasted both parties for a change of rhetoric given the behavior of both sides, as swing voters resulting from Ahn’s withdrawal have emerged as a key variable that will determine the election winner. Until a month ago, the ruling party had downplayed candidate Ahn’s political reform plans. Kim Moo-seong, head of Park’s election preparatory team, said Oct. 23. “Ahn’s so-called new politics, in the end, is an artificial reshuffle of political circles through power.” Seo Byeong-soo, head of the Saenuri Party affairs coordination team, said three days later, “Ahn’s political reform plans show his intent to secure personal gains by denying party politics and generate politics of abhorrence."

Moon’s side is little, if at all, different from Park’s in this regard. Before the TV debate on unifying the opposition candidate was held Wednesday, he had said, “Putting conditions on improving inter-Korean relations is no different from the policy of the Lee Myung-bak administration.” Ahn then denied Moon’s claim, saying, “You misunderstand my election pledge. I intend to offer talks first rather than setting conditions first.” Apart from Ahn’s planned policy toward North Korea, Moon also continued his offensive against Ahn’s claims, including a proposed cut in National Assembly seats and reduced subsidies to parties, with Moon blasting the pledges as “amateurish.”

dnsp@donga.com