Ahn Cheol-soo to announce decision on presidential bid Wednesday

Ahn Cheol-soo, an entrepreneur-turned-professor who has long been considered a potential contender in this year's presidential race, plans to announce his decision on whether to run for the country's top elected position on Wednesday, his spokesman said.    Spokesman Yoo Min-young said Monday that Ahn will make the announcement at 3 p.m. at the local chapter of the Salvation Army's art center in downtown Seoul.    "He will explain what he heard during his meetings with people from all parts of the country and answer questions," Yoo said. Ahn Cheol-soo (Yonhap file photo) Observers said the 50-year-old Ahn is expected to formally announce his intent to run for president, as well as the line-up of his election camp and his vision for the country's future.    The move was anticipated since the dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University said through his aides last week that he would make known his position right after the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) picks its presidential hopeful.    The DUP nominated Rep. Moon Jae-in as its presidential candidate on Sunday following a three-week-long primary race.    Ahn's likely jump into the presidential race will turn the Dec. 19 election into a three-way race, at least for the time being, with Rep. Park Geun-hye representing the ruling camp and Moon and Ahn competing to win over opposition-leaning voters.    Most political pundits said it is unlikely both Moon and Ahn will go to the polls as separate candidates, since such a move would effectively hand the presidency to Park.    The 60-year-old Park, who is the daughter of late President Park Chung-hee has never lost in local surveys in a three-way race because she enjoys solid support among conservatives and the older generation.    They expect that as Moon and Ahn gauge public sentiment, negotiations will be held to select a single opposition hopeful.    "This could take the form of one yielding the candidacy to the other and taking on a supporting role, or if this is not possible, engage in a run-off election, that can be settled through a nationwide survey involving ordinary people," an observer said.    There may be some wrangling over how to settle on one candidate, but it should be decided by Nov. 25-26 when all candidates must formally register to run in the presidential election.