Keum Tae-sup, a lawyer close to potential presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo, held a press conference Thursday saying that a close associate of the ruling Saenuri Party's presidential nominee Park Geun-hye, called him to advise Ahn to not run for president.


[Interview : Keum Tae-sup, Adviser to Ahn Cheol-soo] "I received a call early Tuesday morning from Jeong Joon-gil, a member of Saenuri Party presidential nominee Park Geun-hye's election planning committee.
During the 7-minute call, Jeong threatened to reveal problems with bribery and women involving Ahn and suggested that Ahn not run for president."

Keum said there are two particular suspicions that Jeong has threatened to reveal.
One is that Ahn bribed someone from an industrial bank back in 1999 when his security software company, AhnLab, received an investment from the bank.
The second is that Ahn once had an affair with a woman in her thirties who lives in Seoul.
Keum also told reporters that Ahn denied the allegations against him and that they're all lies.
Jeong then held a press conference shortly there after and said that such claims are groundless.
He said that although he did talk to Keum on the phone Tuesday, he didn't make any such threats and that it was a personal phone call between friends -- not something that was planned ahead with the backing of the party.


[Interview : Jeong Joon-gil, Press Officer
Saenuri Election Planning Committee] "During the phone call, I told Keum about some rumors I heard about Ahn,.. and told him as a friend that if Professor Ahn doesn't clear up the suspicions before he runs for president, it might work to his disadvantage, and I advised him to prepare well beforehand. I never threatened Ahn by saying he shouldn't run for president."

Pundits say the move by a such close associate to Ahn could be a signal that the software mogul is getting ready to announce his presidential bid.
There is just a little over THREE months left until the election on December 19th.
Lee Ji-yoon, Arirang News.

Reporter : jiyoonjlee@arirang.co.kr