[Yeongnam Region Public Sentiment] "Choi Ji-eun's New Breeze is Also Fine" vs "Diligent Kim Do-eup Again This Time"

Busan Bukgangseo-eul... Clear Two-Strong Candidate Race Despite Most Candidates in Busan
Incumbent Kim Do-eup Focused on Local Issues... Choi Ji-eun Emphasizes Youth and Expertise

On the 2nd, when the official election campaign for the 21st National Assembly members began, banners of Choi Ji-eun, the Democratic Party candidate, Kim Do-eup, the United Future Party candidate, and Kim Won-sung, the independent candidate, were hung at an intersection in Gangseo-gu, Busan.
Photo by Yoon Dong-joo, Busan doso7@

[Busan=Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Jeon Jinyoung] "Just sign here." At 2 p.m. on the 2nd, a man in his 50s stopped Choi Ji-eun, the Democratic Party candidate campaigning in Hwamyung-dong, Buk-gu, Busan, and spoke to her. After receiving the autograph, the man said, "Please make sure to win," and then quietly disappeared. Wearing a blue baseball jacket that read "Choi Ji-eun has the skills," Choi expressed her gratitude for the support and repeatedly bowed her head.

"Brother, these days greetings are done with a fist like this." On the same day, the election office of Kim Do-eup, the United Future Party candidate in Daejeo-dong, was never closed. Local residents visited the election office naturally, not just once or twice. Kim politely welcomed them each time. That day was also a difficult one as the People's Party candidate put up "Kim Do-eup losing" banners all over the streets. However, Kim showed the composure of a local and exuded confidence.

The Busan Bukgangseo-eul district, where former President Roh Moo-hyun made his last challenge as a member of the National Assembly, had the most candidates among Busan's 18 constituencies, but the on-site public sentiment clearly showed a two-horse race between Choi and Kim.

Choi Ji-eun, the Democratic Party candidate running for Busan Gangseo-eul, is appealing for support from citizens at the Hwamyung-daero intersection in Buk-gu, Busan on the 2nd.
Busan ? Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

◆ Interest in "Lived a fulfilling life" Choi Ji-eun vs Absolute support for "Genuine" Kim Do-eup = Kim, an incumbent lawmaker who has built a local base over eight years, enjoyed absolute support from local natives. Jo, who has run a sashimi restaurant in Myeongji Market for 30 years, said, "He is so diligent that he flies to Seoul in the morning and returns to Busan by evening flight. He listens well to the residents' stories," and praised, "Of course, this time too, Kim Do-eup." Taxi driver Park Hong-eun (60) also said, "He is genuine. He only raises his head in front of ministers but humbly bows to residents," and bluntly said, "(Choi) is like an egg hitting a rock."

However, there was also clear interest in Choi, who challenged with her youth and solid credentials as an international economics expert. Choi Mo (24), living in Gangseo-gu, said, "This is a neighborhood with a lot of development potential. It might be good to have an economic expert come and try rather than a long-serving worker," adding, "Look at her specs; hasn't she lived a very fulfilling life? We need to give her a chance to evaluate." Given the symbolic significance of being the last district where former President Roh ran, support for the Democratic Party could not be ignored. Taxi driver Choi (60s) said, "I really liked former President Roh. This time too, number 1."

Kim Do-eup, the United Future Party candidate running for Busan Gangseo-eul, is appealing for support from citizens at Seongsan Samgeori in Gangseo-gu, Busan on the 2nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo, Busan doso7@

◆ "Economic expert, overseas network will help regional development" vs "Proven worker, inherently connected with locals" = Choi emphasized that she would carry on the 'spirit of Roh Moo-hyun' and bring a fresh breeze to a tough district. She said, "Roh Moo-hyun's spirit lies in rational economic policies. He was the one who most strongly advocated practical policies and balanced development beyond ideology," adding, "I will develop Western Busan to become the center of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam mega-city. My experience and overseas network will also help regional development."

Choi also took a jab at Kim. She said, "Many locals know him and he seems to have done a lot. But I wonder how Busan people, who value loyalty and sincerity, think about his withdrawal and re-entry into the race," and added, "An economic expert is needed to tackle local issues. I sometimes wonder if more prosecutors are needed in the National Assembly."

On the other hand, Kim emphasized being a "proven worker," which is also his campaign slogan. Kim said, "Our district accounts for a quarter of Busan. There are many complaints and different issues in each area, so it takes considerable time to understand them all." He continued, "Especially to solve these, you need to be emotionally close to the locals. Emotional rapport can take even more time," emphasizing that as a native who was born and raised here, he is inherently connected with the locals and is the right person for the job.

Kim stressed that if he becomes a three-term lawmaker, he will "focus on legislative work to revive people's livelihoods and restore the broken rule of law." Revising the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office Act (HCIO Act) is one of them. As the floor leader of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, he had declared he would not run again, taking responsibility for failing to block the passage of the HCIO Act. Kim said, "I have consistently argued that lawmakers and high-ranking officials should be investigated for corruption, and it is acceptable even if it is directly under the president. But prosecutors and judges should be excluded," and emphasized, "Should investigations or rulings be influenced by the regime's interests?"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.