Busan Mayoral Race Heats Up as Jeon Jaesu and Park Hyungjun Enter Fierce Battle

Jeon: "Implementing 100-Day Livelihood Measures"

Park: "Those Policies Are Already in Place"

The Busan mayoral race is heating up. The full-scale exchange of attacks has begun between the two candidates, both known for their "gentle" images.

Polls showing the support rates for Jeon Jae-su of the Democratic Party of Korea and Park Hyungjun of the People Power Party narrowing within the margin of error have fueled increasingly strong rhetoric from both sides. Tension is mounting among Jeon's camp, who now find themselves on the defensive, while Park's supporters are growing more hopeful as they close the gap.

Jeon's camp was the first to go on the offensive. On May 4, Jeon directly criticized Park's key policies via social media. He announced that, if elected mayor, he would immediately halt the project to establish a Busan branch of the Pompidou Center. He stated, "I will implement 100-day measures to support the livelihoods of Busan citizens," and added, "I will stop exhibition-oriented budgets worth billions of won, including the construction of the Pompidou Center branch and subsidies for foreign opera troupes."

On the morning of the 4th, at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center in Dong-gu, Busan, Jeon Jae-su, the mayoral candidate for Busan of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a speech at the 9th Nationwide Simultaneous Local Elections Nomination Conference for Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam.
[Image source=Yonhap News Agency]

He continued, "I will promptly introduce support measures to sustain citizens' daily lives." These include fuel subsidies for small-scale truck and delivery drivers, energy vouchers for traditional markets and small business owners, a review of easing the burden of public utility fees and local taxes, a temporary expansion of the Dongbaekjeon cashback program, expanded public job programs, and measures to reduce credit card and delivery service fees for small businesses.

Park's camp immediately fired back. Spokesperson Seo Jiyeon stated, "If someone who only knows how to oppose becomes mayor, Busan will not be able to accomplish anything." She added, "Declaring to scrap the project upon taking office is essentially making Busan's future a scapegoat for budget cuts." Seo argued that citizens want an administration with a vision to build, not one fueled by the anger of overturning things.

Seo continued, "It is easy to tear down, but building is hard," and criticized, "The logic that nothing breaks if nothing is built is not administration, but irresponsibility and incompetence." She also mocked Jeon's promises, claiming, "The pledges put forth by Jeon are already policies being implemented by the city of Busan" and described them as "merely copying from Busan's supplementary budget report."

Park Hyungjun, the People Power Party candidate for Busan mayor, is shouting "Fighting" at the opening ceremony of the election office on the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Both candidates effectively kicked off their campaigns with launch events on April 27. Until now, they had focused on presenting policies and promoting interaction between candidates and voters. Due to the previously wide gap in support rates and heightened attention on the by-election for the Buk-gu-gap National Assembly seat, the activities of both candidates had not received much media spotlight.

As the gap has narrowed, both camps have raised their voices and sharpened their rhetoric, fueling predictions that the Busan mayoral election will become even more intense. Their strategies differ: Jeon has ramped up criticism of the city's administration over the past five years, while Park is seeking to rally conservative voters by attacking the president and the ruling party over the "Lee Jae-myung Evidence Removal Special Prosecutor Act."

A political analyst commented, "Since launching their campaigns, both candidates have focused on putting forward policy proposals, but as the gap has narrowed, the level of attacks has increased," predicting that the confrontation will intensify as the election nears its conclusion.

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