Jeon Jaesoo, Kim Sangwook, and Kim Kyungsoo Visit Bongha Village... 'One Team' Megacity Pledge

Carrying On Roh Moo-hyun's Legacy to Usher in a New Era as the Second Metropolitan Area

On June 3, at the 9th nationwide local elections, Jeon Jaesoo, candidate for Busan mayor, Kim Sangwook, candidate for Ulsan mayor, and Kim Kyungsoo, candidate for Gyeongnam governor, all running under the Democratic Party of Korea as the PK (Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam) mayoral and gubernatorial candidates, jointly visited Bongha Village in Gimhae on April 14 and held a joint launch ceremony. During the election period, they pledged to restore the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity as "one team," promising to carry out joint campaign events together.

On this day, the three candidates paid respects at the gravesite of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village and visited his widow, Kwon Yang-sook. They announced plans to continue the legacy of former President Roh, who in his lifetime emphasized local autonomy and balanced national development, by transforming these regions into a "second metropolitan area."

(Gimhae=Yonhap News) Reporter Dongmin Kim = On the morning of the 14th, the Democratic Party candidates for mayors and governors of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam held hands and smiled brightly at the "Marine Capital Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity Joint Launch Ceremony" held in Bongha Village, Jinyeong-eup, Gimhae City, Gyeongnam. From left, Sanguk Kim, Ulsan mayoral candidate; Kyungsoo Kim, Gyeongnam governor candidate; and Jaesoo Jeon, Busan mayoral candidate. April 14, 2026 Photo by Dongmin Kim (end)

At the joint launch ceremony, they stated, "The dream that former President Roh dedicated his life to—the vision of 'a country where local regions are good places to live'—has not yet been realized. Today, here in Bongha, where his spirit lives on, we declare our commitment to restart the heart of balanced development and open the era of the second metropolitan area in the Republic of Korea." They further emphasized, "We will immediately restore the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity, which the People Power Party halted, and succeed it with an even stronger status as the 'second metropolitan area.'"

They also announced joint pledges, such as a second round of public institution relocations and attracting investments from large corporations. Their vision is to make Busan a marine capital and a global logistics hub, Ulsan a center for advanced manufacturing innovation, and Gyeongnam a hub for global future industries.

Since the People Power Party has nominated incumbent mayors and governors (Park Hyungjun, Kim Dookyum, and Park Wansu), it appears that the Democratic Party's PK candidates will center their campaign strategy on highlighting the responsibilities of the previous regional leaders and emphasizing the ruling party's advantages.

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