Busan Mayoral Race Heats Up on Social Media

Park Strikes Back at Jeon's Negative Attacks: Contrasting Strategies


Jeon Jae-soo Highlights “Effective Candidate” Image with Presidential Support


Hyungjun Park Emphasizes “Uninterrupted Progress” Through Record of City Achievements

The race for mayor of Busan is heating up on social media as well.

Jeon Jae-soo, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, and Hyungjun Park, the candidate from the People Power Party, are each employing different messaging strategies on Facebook to enhance their public images.

An analysis of both candidates' posts from April 1 to May 11 shows that Jeon has focused on projecting the image of a “candidate who works with President Lee Jaemyung” and an “effective candidate,” while Park is highlighting his record in city administration and policy continuity through slogans like “World Class Busan” and “Uninterrupted Progress.” Park’s campaign appears to be striking back at the negative attacks from Jeon's camp.

Jeon Jae-su, Busan mayoral candidate.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

During this period, Jeon posted 58 times. The most frequently used keyword was “Busan,” which appeared over 160 times, followed by “Lee Jaemyung, President, Central Government” at 110 times, “citizens” at 95, “effective” at 82, and “marine capital” at 74. Other commonly mentioned terms included “achievements,” “Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries,” “leap,” “regional extinction,” and “dome stadium.”

In early April, many posts announced Jeon's decision to run for mayor, his closeness to the president, and the conclusion of his activities in the local Buk-gu district. He tried to rally his support base by mentioning “Roh Moo-hyun” and “Lee Jaemyung,” and solidified his reason for running with emotional expressions such as “the youngest, Jaesoo, has arrived.”

After officially becoming the candidate on April 13, Jeon emphasized phrases like “effective” and “achievements,” focusing on his connections with the central government and highlighting his personal strengths. By repeatedly using phrases such as “let’s finally get some work done,” he sought to both criticize and keep the current city administration in check, positioning himself as a “doer, not just a politician.” “Marine capital” and “Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries” also appeared as major keywords. In May, the use of terms connecting with voters, such as “citizens,” increased significantly.

Park posted significantly more content—89 posts in total. The main keyword “Busan” appeared more than 200 times, followed by “global city” at 145, “achievements” at 110, “youth” at 105, and “uninterrupted” at 95. Other frequently used terms included “integration,” “innovation,” “future,” “Gadeokdo,” and “judgment.”

Hyungjun Park, Busan mayoral candidate.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In April, Park focused on highlighting his image as a “working mayor” by repeatedly emphasizing “achievements” and “innovation.” While Jeon highlighted “Lee Jaemyung,” Park presented a vision of the future for the city by underscoring “global” and “Gadeokdo,” aiming to elevate Busan’s status.

From the end of April, posts about policy vision announcements and communication with citizens increased, as did the use of terms such as “youth” and “future.” His pledge to establish “1 billion won in youth asset formation” attracted a high number of views.

In May, Park’s posts also began to address current political issues, including criticisms of specific bills and policy directions. He rallied his support base by calling for the withdrawal of the special prosecutor bills introduced by the Democratic Party, referring to them as the “Lee Jaemyung acquittal special prosecutor bill” and the “self-dismissal of indictment special prosecutor bill.” He also sought to spread the narrative of administrative stability through the repeated use of the phrase “uninterrupted.”

Although there are no direct attacks against the rival candidate on Facebook, content responding to criticisms through commentary and other means is noticeable. Recently, Jeon’s camp criticized issues related to the Pompidou Busan branch, La Scala opera performance, and LCT art pieces. In response to continued attacks, Park recently countered on Facebook, saying, “Is overturning things the only thing you know how to do?”

Political commentators note, “Recently, Jeon’s camp attacks on issues such as the Pompidou Busan branch, La Scala opera performance, and LCT sculptures, while Park’s camp responds. If rebuttals continue to be met with counter-rebuttals, the campaign could devolve into a negative contest.”

Both campaign teams see the competition over messaging via social media as a core pillar of their election strategies. As election day approaches, the online battle is expected to intensify even further.

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