Ahn Cheol-soo

This is a Korean name; the family name is Ahn.
Ahn Cheol-soo
안철수
Chairman of the People's Party
Assumed office
2 February 2016
Serving with Chun Jung-bae
Preceded by Position established
Member of the National Assembly
Assumed office
25 April 2013
Preceded by Roh Hoe-chan
Constituency Seoul Nowon C
Chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy
In office
26 March 2014 – 31 July 2014
Serving with Kim Han-gil
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Moon Jae-in
Personal details
Born (1962-02-26) February 26, 1962
Miryang, South Korea
Nationality South Korean
Political party Nonpartisan (2013–14; 2015–16)
NPAD (2014–15)
People's Party (2016–present)
Spouse(s) Kim Mi-kyung
Children 1 daughter
Alma mater Seoul National University
University of Pennsylvania
Occupation Software entrepreneur
Known for V3 (antivirus software)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance  South Korea
Service/branch Republic of Korea Navy
Years of service 1991–1994
Rank Daewi
[1][2]
Ahn Cheol-soo
Hangul 안철수
Hanja 安哲秀
Revised Romanization An Cheol-su
McCune–Reischauer An Ch'ŏlsu

Ahn Cheol-soo (Hangul: 안철수 [an tɕʰʌlsʰu]; born February 26, 1962), also known as Charles Ahn, is a South Korean politician, businessman, and software entrepreneur currently serving as a member of the National Assembly and as founding co-leader of the People's Party alongside Chun Jung-bae.[3] He was previously co-chairman of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy from March to July 2014. He ran as a candidate for the presidential election in 2012, but withdrew a month before the election took place.

Ahn founded AhnLab, Inc., an antivirus software company, in 1995. He was chairman of the board and Chief Learning Officer of AhnLab until September 2012, and remains the company's largest stakeholder. He also served as dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University until September 2012.

Early life

Ahn was born on February 26, 1962, in Miryang, South Korea, while his father was on military service there; he subsequently moved with his family to Busan, where he grew up.[4] Growing up, Ahn was known to have loved to read books, at one point finishing every single book at his elementary school library.[5]

He received his Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in physiology from Seoul National University between 1980 and 1991.

Ahn researched computer antivirus software programs while at Seoul National University Hospital and Dankook University Hospital, and founded a venture company after finishing his military service as a medical officer in the South Korean navy. His research led to the creation of the V3 antivirus software. AhnLab, Inc. later became the largest computer security company in South Korea,[6][7] and was included in annual lists of Korea's most admired companies by Korea Management Association Consulting between 2004 and 2008.[8][9][10][11][12] He resigned as CEO in 2005, and until 2012 he served as chairman of the board. Ahn became an outside director of POSCO in 2005, and from 2010 to 2011 he was chairman of the company.

Ahn was awarded a master's degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, and an Executive Master of Business Administration (E.M.B.A.) degree from the Wharton School (San Francisco campus) in 2008. He then became a professor at KAIST and in the beginning of 2011, Dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University.[13]

In 1988 he married Kim Mi-kyung, who is currently a professor at the Seoul National University College of Medicine. Ahn has a daughter with Kim.[14]

IT business

In March 1995, Ahn founded AhnLab, Inc. which became the country's leading antivirus software company.[15] Ahn insisted that McAfee had suggested it would acquire AhnLab for $10,000,000 but Ahn rejected the offer. He mentioned patriotic reasons about the decision saying that selling AhnLab might allow a foreign firm to dominate the Korean market.

Political career

Entry into politics

In early September 2011, speculation spread that Ahn would enter politics by competing in the October 26 Seoul mayoral by-election. Analysts stated that if positioned as an independent, Ahn would attract a degree of support from those disaffected by mainstream political parties in the wake of corruption allegations and continuing policy failures. At this time, Ahn's support base was compared to that of Roh Moo-hyun in 2002.[16] Ahn did not ultimately run in the Seoul contest, however.

He alluded to standing as a presidential candidate in his 2012 book Thoughts of Ahn Cheol-Soo.[17]

2012 presidential campaign

On September 19, 2012 at 3 p.m. Korea Standard Time, Ahn held a press conference and announced his intention to run for the 2012 presidential election. This announcement came after months of speculation on whether or not Ahn was going to run for the presidency. The South Korean presidential election was to be held on December 19, 2012. In an address that lasted around 20 minutes, Ahn spent a considerable amount of time explaining how he came to the decision to run for President of the Republic of Korea, quoting the people he had met while exploring his candidacy, who had expressed their desire for a "new politics". Ahn at one point showed to be polling stronger than Moon Jae-in, with a few polls showing he could win against Park Geun-hye, the candidate who would go on to win the election. On November 23, 2012 at 8:20 p.m. KST, Ahn announced that he would drop out of the race,[18] endorsing Moon Jae-in, the Democratic United Party presidential candidate.

2013 by-election and early Assembly career (2013–2016)

Ahn Cheol-soo in October 2013

On March 11, 2013, Ahn announced that he would run for a seat in the National Assembly of South Korea as an independent candidate in the by-election in the district of Seoul Nowon C. He won the election on April 24, entering his first elected office.[19] In May 2013, he launched a new think tank named Policy Network Tomorrow.[20]

Having entered the Assembly, Ahn began to explore the creation of a new party, which was provisionally named the New Political Vision Party on the basis of public surveys.[21] On March 26, 2014, however, while the party was in the process of being set up, Ahn merged his faction with the liberal Democratic Party to form the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, becoming co-chairman of the new party alongside Kim Han-gil.[22][23] Ahn and Kim both resigned from their position three months later in July, following the new party's disappointing performance in by-elections that year, which had seen the liberals lose a seat in Jeolla to conservatives for the first time in 26 years.[24]

Ahn remained in the NPAD, but came into increasing conflict with Moon Jae-in, who had taken over sole leadership of the party after his resignation, and the "pro-Roh" faction that Moon represented. In December 2015, Ahn issued an ultimatum to Moon demanding that a convention be held at the beginning of 2016 to elect a new party leader. Moon rejected the demand.[25] Ahn then left the NPAD along with a range of other lawmakers opposed to Moon, including Kim Han-gil.[26] Announcing that he would form a new party, he subsequently joined forces with Chun Jung-bae, who had left the party earlier in the year,[27] to form the People's Party in January 2016.[28] Moon resigned as leader after Ahn's defection, describing his experience as "a series of difficult days without a single one of respite".[29]

People's Party leader (2016–present)

Ahn positioned the new People's Party as an anti-establishment centrist force, attracting support from both political wings.[30] He labeled the remaining NPAD "anachronistic progressives",[31] and accused contemporary Korean politicians of lacking policies beyond "short-term gimmicks".[32] In the lead-up to the April 13 parliamentary election, he came into conflict with his co-leader Chun and other members of the party after Kim Chong-in, the interim leader of the Minjoo Party, the NPAD's successor, called for the two parties to form an electoral alliance. Kim Han-gil and Ahn's co-leader Chun both supported the plan, but Ahn rejected any prospect of an alliance with his former party.[33] The proposal was ultimately scotched, with Kim Han-gil withdrawing from the upcoming election in protest.[34]

In the event, the People's Party performed better than anticipated, coming second in party-list voting and winning 38 seats overall, including 23 of the 28 districts in the liberal stronghold of Jeolla.[35] The People's Party held the balance of power in the new Assembly, establishing a three-party system.[36] Ahn was credited for the victory, which was seen as giving him a position as kingmaker and support for contesting the presidential elections in the following year.[37][38] Following the election, Ahn rejected continued calls to regroup with the Minjoo Party, stating that "it would be inappropriate to speak of politically realigning at this point in time". He added that the People's Party would not be "a mere tie-breaking third party, but ... a new opinion leader in parliamentary affairs".[39]

Political positions

Ahn has stated that he considers Franklin D. Roosevelt to be a role model,[37] and has referred to himself as the Bernie Sanders of Korea.[40] He supports an increased capital gains tax, higher public welfare spending, and a cautious approach to free trade agreements.[37] Ahn has also made appeals to conservatives, however, and has associated the People's Party with "reformative" currents of Korean conservatism.[41] In September 2012, Ahn visited the graves of Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Dae-jung. Park Chung-hee and Syngman Rhee are often praised by Korean conservatives, and Kim Dae-jung by liberals. Ahn stated at the time that it would be "hypocritical to paint half the people as enemies and at the same time call for 'unity'".[42]

Philanthropy

In December 2011, Ahn has expressed his willingness to donate half of his shares in AhnLab for the education of children from low-income families. He owns 37.1 percent of AhnLab shares, and as of 9 December 2011, the value of the shares to be donated is about 250 billion won ($218 million).[43]

Legal problems

In September 2012, Ahn made a public apology as reports surfaced that his wife evaded taxes by under-pricing a 2001 apartment she bought worth ₩450 million to ₩250 million, thus reducing the acquisition and registration taxes by up to ₩10 million. However, a statement by the Korea Taxpayers' Association claimed that the "down contract" was in accordance with trade customs and thus not unlawful due to flaws in the local tax law between 1996 and 2005.[44]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "AhnLab". AhnLab. 2002-07-08. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  2. ↑ Ahn Chul-soo: “Korea needs horizontal thinking to make a Nintendo game player.” at Korea Foundation.
  3. ↑ 서울대, 안철수 융대원장 사직서 수리. Yonhap News (in Korean) (Seoul). September 20, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  4. ↑ "The vetting of Ahn Cheol-soo". The Hankyoreh. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  5. ↑ http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&aid=0002032901
  6. ↑ AhnLab Looks to Perform in International Stage at Korea Times.
  7. ↑ AhnLab Considers Overseas M&A at Korea IT Times.
  8. ↑ http://www.kmac.co.kr/certify/certify_01a_1.asp (Korean)
  9. ↑ AhnLab, "The Korea's Most Admired company" Consecutive 5 years at Asia Economy (2008.02.20). (Korean)
  10. ↑ "AhnLab". Kr.ahnlab.com. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  11. ↑ Samsung Electronics Most Admired Company in Korea: Survey at Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr
  12. ↑ Book review "세상에서 가장 안전한 이름 안철수 연구소" at The Hankyoreh. (Korean)
  13. ↑ https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/09/113_94248.html
  14. ↑ http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?year=2012&no=610838 (Korean)
  15. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/world/asia/new-voice-in-south-korean-politics-enters-presidential-race.html?_r=0
  16. ↑ Park, Jeong-min (2011-09-11). 2002년 노풍(盧風)과 2011년 안풍(安風)의 공통점?. Heraldbiz.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  17. ↑ Yeong-doo, Kang (19 July 2012). "Ahn Cheol-soo to announce his candidancy virtually". Yonhapnews. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  18. ↑ http://news.naver.com/main/president2012/news/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=154&cid=909465&iid=39207146&oid=003&aid=0004843794&ptype=011
  19. ↑ "전국 12개 재보선 개표 마무리…安·金·李 당선". News1. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  20. ↑ "안철수 싱크탱크 출범, 신당 창당 궤도에 올라". Newdaily. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Ahn’s party to establish new name at gathering". Korea JoongAng Daily. February 17, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Political shocker as DP, Ahn Cheol-soo merge". Korea JoongAng Daily. March 3, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Democratic Party, Ahn Cheol-soo agree to create new party". The Dong-A Ilbo. March 3, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Co-chairmen quit amid election rubble". Korea JoongAng Daily. August 1, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  25. ↑ "NPAD’s Moon rejects Ahn demand". Korea JoongAng Daily. December 9, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Ahn Cheol-soo calls it quits with NPAD". The Korea Times. December 13, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Party feud erodes Moon’s leadership". The Korea Herald. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  28. ↑ "Ahn Cheol-Soo, Chun Jung-Bae To Create New Party". TBS eFM. January 25, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Moon Jae-in steps down as leader of The Minjoo Party of Korea". The Hankyoreh. January 28, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Ahn's popularity baffles parties". The Korea Times. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Debate over first President Rhee reignites". The Korea Herald. January 18, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  32. ↑ "The Bernie Sanders of Korea? An Interview With Ahn Cheol-soo". The Huffington Post. February 11, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Ahn stumbling on internal feud". The Korea Times. March 7, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Rep. Kim not to run in April elections". The Korea Times. March 17, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  35. ↑ "In liberal stronghold, voters give main opposition party a lashing". The Hankyoreh. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Minority People's Party steals show: Ahn’s Party holds balance of power as three party system dawns". The Korea Herald. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  37. 1 2 3 "Software Tycoon Turns Political Kingmaker in Korea Stalemate". Bloomberg. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Attention to shift to 2017 presidential race". The Korea Times. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Ahn gestures at moving onto presidential race". The Korea Herald. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  40. ↑ "The Bernie Sanders of Korea? An Interview With Ahn Cheol-soo". The World Post. February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Ahn backs Yoo to woo conservatives". The Korea Times. April 7, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Ahn visits National Cemetery in first political act". The Hankyoreh. September 21, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  43. ↑ Lee (이), Gwang-bin (광빈) (2011-12-11). 안철수 기부주식 2천500억원 넘어. Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  44. ↑ Bae, Hyun-jung (September 28, 2012). "Ahn apologizes for wife's tax-dodging". Korea Herald (Seoul).
  45. ↑ Book review "Happy Virus by Ahn Cheol-soo" at The Hankyoreh. (Korean)

External links

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