'True Conservative' Battle: Park Min-sik Backed by Jang Dong-hyuk vs Han Dong-hoon Recruiting Chung Hyung-geun

Opening Ceremonies at the Same Time... Head-to-Head Showdown in Buk-gu
"True Conservative" Rivalry Heats Up... Democratic Party Unites as "One Team"

Park Min-sik, candidate from the People Power Party, and Han Dong-hoon, an independent candidate running in the June 3 by-election for the Buk-gu Gap district in Busan, are competing over who represents the true conservative lineage.

According to the political community on May 7, both Park and Han will hold campaign office opening ceremonies in Buk-gu, Busan at 2 p.m. on May 10. By scheduling their events at the same time on the same day, both candidates are set to launch a full-scale competition for public support.

Prior to this, Han recruited former lawmaker Chung Hyung-geun as the head of his support committee. Former lawmaker Chung served three consecutive terms in Buk-gu, Busan, from the 15th to the 17th National Assembly elections.

Chung is a former public security prosecutor who worked at the Agency for National Security Planning during the 1980s and 1990s. Han's recruitment of Chung is seen as an effort to strengthen his "conservative legitimacy." Park commented, "He certainly was a prominent politician, but he did not fully satisfy the locals' desire to have someone who is truly 'from Buk-gu,'" drawing a clear contrast.

Candidates running in the June 3 Busan Buk-gu Gap by-election for the National Assembly seat: (from left) Ha Jung-woo, Democratic Party candidate; Park Min-sik, People Power Party candidate; Han Dong-hoon, independent candidate. Photo by The Asia Business Daily and Yonhap News Agency

Park's camp plans to emphasize his legitimacy as the People Power Party candidate by inviting a large number of the party leadership to the office opening ceremony. In particular, party leader Jang Dong-hyuk is expected to attend and support Park. The People Power Party leadership has even mentioned the possibility of party-level disciplinary measures against lawmakers who attend Han's opening ceremony.

On the other hand, lawmakers aligned with Han are openly expressing their intention to attend. Han Jia, a pro-Han lawmaker, appeared on MBC radio and said, "I will attend the opening ceremony of former leader Han, who made a decision that aligns with my values."

Meanwhile, Ha Jung-woo, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Buk-gu, Busan, completed his preliminary candidate registration the previous day and has officially begun his campaign. Ha also plans to hold his campaign office opening ceremony on the afternoon of May 10.

Jeon Jae-soo, the Democratic Party's candidate for Busan Mayor, will attend the event to lend his support. The Democratic Party's strategy is for the mayoral and Buk-gu candidates to move together in a "running mate" format, maximizing their synergy effect.

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