Ahn is rushing out a book of essays

Popular software developer and professor Ahn Cheol-soo is expected to release a book of essays soon, his spokesman said yesterday, amid speculation that the book may signal a decision to run for president.

Ahn, who has long been talked about as a potential opposition contender in December’s presidential election, plans to hand over the final manuscript of the book to a publishing firm soon, and the publisher has promised to speed up printing, spokesman Yoo Min-young said.

Printing is expected to begin as early as this weekend.

The book is said to outline Ahn’s stance on political and social issues, especially his thoughts on welfare, justice and peace. Its release is seen by some as a prelude to Ahn’s official declaration of his presidential bid.

Ahn, 50, demonstrated powerful influence over voters during October’s Seoul mayoral by-election, and his approval ratings as a presidential candidate standing are high. But the enigmatic professor from Seoul National University has never made his political intentions clear.

A former medical doctor who gained fame in the 1990s after establishing the anti-virus software firm AhnLab, Ahn is popular among young Koreans due largely to his clean and upright image.

Yonhap