Do we like Ahn Cheol-soo?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A doctor-turned-coder who did real good in Daegu and crossed his own party over martial law, with one contested answer on LGBTQ+ events.
He founded AhnLab in 1995 and, by the article's account, couldn't pay staff monthly for years. The company turned a profit in 1999 and listed in 2001. He became a public figure through his university lectures, and in 2011 stepped aside from the Seoul mayoral race to back Park Won-soon. It was a rare act of ego-checking in Korean politics.
The messiest chapter was 2017. After a fabricated audio file was used to smear then-candidate Moon Jae-in, Ahn said he was “very sorry”, accepted responsibility as candidate and said the fake could not be justified. Prosecutors later declined to indict him, saying they could not find evidence of his involvement. A couple of his party's former lawmakers and an official were not so lucky.
On the harm check, the thing to know is the 2021 Seoul mayoral debate. Asked about the Queer Culture Festival, he said individual human rights deserve respect but so do the rights of opponents. Rival Keum Tae-sup called that no different from hate and discrimination, and the Justice Party demanded an apology. Ahn later said he backs equal freedom of assembly but objected to ‘excessively obscene’ performances. That's one contested position, not a campaign, and nothing like it turned up since.
His blunt edge has cost him. In March 2025 he mocked President Lee's stabbing over the debate dodge, and the Democratic Party filed a police report alleging defamation. Police closed the case in December 2025 for lack of evidence. It was a crude line, and a wiser Ahn wouldn't have posted it.
The democratic credentials are stronger. In December 2024 he was the PPP lawmaker who stayed in the chamber for the first Yoon impeachment vote. He later said he “left the judgment to the Constitutional Court”. In July 2026 he testified in the trial of Daegu Mayor Chu Kyung-ho, who is accused of obstructing the vote to lift martial law, and he opposes Han Dong-hoon's return to the party.
The good stuff is real. In March 2020 he went to Daegu with no aides and treated COVID-19 patients at a hospital short of staff, and rivals from other parties praised him for it. Some online commenters said he was better suited to being a doctor than a politician, which is a fair crack, but not one he earned by being nasty.