Many South Koreans will remember Ahn Cheol-soo’s two runs for South Korea’s presidency in 2017 and 2012. Cheol-soo jumped between parties before landing at the Bareunmirae Party. As a politician he has opposed key issues including same-sex marriage and the American anti-ballistic defense system known and THAAD. But long before any of his politics, Cheol-soo was first and foremost a keen businessman.
He hit it big with his security software company AhnLab, Inc. He famously turned down a huge offer from John McAfee to buy his company. This decision proved to be the correct one. AhnLab would eventually remain in his own hands and become the country’s second-biggest company of its kind. This massive empire gave Cheol-soo the capital he needed to enter politics, where he remains actively engaged to this day.