Shoppers buy groceries at Gupo Market in Busan’s Buk-gu on April 29. [Photo by Jang Moon-gi]
“This time, people really want to pick someone who can get things done. If you show your face a lot and pay attention to the neighborhood, people’s hearts go to you,” a self-employed resident said in Busan’s Manduk-dong on April 29, describing sentiment ahead of the June 3 National Assembly by-election.
Manduk-dong is part of Busan Buk-gu Gap, widely seen as the most competitive district among the upcoming by-elections. Han Dong-hoon, the former People Power Party leader, moved to Manduk-dong on April 14 and formally declared his candidacy. On April 30, Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI Future Planning, was confirmed as the Democratic Party candidate. The People Power Party has not yet nominated a candidate, but Park Min-sik, former minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, has entered the race.
The district has traditionally leaned conservative, but Jeon Jae-soo, the Democratic Party’s Busan mayoral candidate, won the seat three consecutive times. In the general election two years ago, it was also the only one of Busan’s 18 constituencies won by the Democratic Party. Observers attribute that to weaker partisan loyalty and a tendency to vote for individuals.
Reporting across Buk-gu, Ajunews found Ha’s low name recognition in the district is viewed as a key weakness. Despite leading national AI policy at the presidential office, his name and face are not widely known locally. With the area aging rapidly, it is also unclear how much appeal an “AI expert” will have.
An 80-something woman in Manduk-dong said, “I saw him on the news, but I don’t really know what he does,” adding that people around her also seem unfamiliar. Another resident, identified only as Choi, 80, said, “They say he’s impressive, but honestly I don’t know what an AI secretary is.”
Han, who arrived in Buk-gu first, has built a solid base of support centered on Gupo Market. Vendors said that when he visits, supporters crowd in and sales rise, helping make him a welcome presence there.
A woman in her 60s who runs a fruit shop at Gupo Market said, “Sales noticeably go up every time Han comes,” adding, “For merchants like us, it’s hard not to like someone who boosts sales.” Still, some said votes in Gupo Market alone will not decide the race and that he will need broader momentum elsewhere.
Park, who served as the district’s lawmaker in the 18th and 19th National Assembly, has not secured the party nomination but has been campaigning locally since announcing his bid. Some residents, however, said they still view him negatively because he ran in Seoul’s Gangseo district, not Busan Buk-gu Gap, in the general election two years ago.
A man in his 30s at Gupo Market said Park, “who went somewhere else and came back,” has no right to call Han a traitor. A woman in her 40s who said she lives in Buk-gu said leaving for another district after losing and then returning now “is a transparent move.” But one Manduk-dong resident said Park seems to be seen more often in the neighborhood than Han, expressing a favorable view.
Political circles say the outcome could remain hard to predict even if the three-way race continues through Election Day without a unified candidacy. A poll commissioned by NewsTomato and conducted by MediaTomato on April 24-25 of 802 Buk-gu Gap residents age 18 and older (wireless ARS; details available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website) showed Ha at 35.5%, Park at 26.0% and Han at 28.5%, a tight contest within the margin of error. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Manduk-dong is part of Busan Buk-gu Gap, widely seen as the most competitive district among the upcoming by-elections. Han Dong-hoon, the former People Power Party leader, moved to Manduk-dong on April 14 and formally declared his candidacy. On April 30, Ha Jung-woo, former senior presidential secretary for AI Future Planning, was confirmed as the Democratic Party candidate. The People Power Party has not yet nominated a candidate, but Park Min-sik, former minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, has entered the race.
The district has traditionally leaned conservative, but Jeon Jae-soo, the Democratic Party’s Busan mayoral candidate, won the seat three consecutive times. In the general election two years ago, it was also the only one of Busan’s 18 constituencies won by the Democratic Party. Observers attribute that to weaker partisan loyalty and a tendency to vote for individuals.
Reporting across Buk-gu, Ajunews found Ha’s low name recognition in the district is viewed as a key weakness. Despite leading national AI policy at the presidential office, his name and face are not widely known locally. With the area aging rapidly, it is also unclear how much appeal an “AI expert” will have.
An 80-something woman in Manduk-dong said, “I saw him on the news, but I don’t really know what he does,” adding that people around her also seem unfamiliar. Another resident, identified only as Choi, 80, said, “They say he’s impressive, but honestly I don’t know what an AI secretary is.”
Han, who arrived in Buk-gu first, has built a solid base of support centered on Gupo Market. Vendors said that when he visits, supporters crowd in and sales rise, helping make him a welcome presence there.
A woman in her 60s who runs a fruit shop at Gupo Market said, “Sales noticeably go up every time Han comes,” adding, “For merchants like us, it’s hard not to like someone who boosts sales.” Still, some said votes in Gupo Market alone will not decide the race and that he will need broader momentum elsewhere.
Park, who served as the district’s lawmaker in the 18th and 19th National Assembly, has not secured the party nomination but has been campaigning locally since announcing his bid. Some residents, however, said they still view him negatively because he ran in Seoul’s Gangseo district, not Busan Buk-gu Gap, in the general election two years ago.
A man in his 30s at Gupo Market said Park, “who went somewhere else and came back,” has no right to call Han a traitor. A woman in her 40s who said she lives in Buk-gu said leaving for another district after losing and then returning now “is a transparent move.” But one Manduk-dong resident said Park seems to be seen more often in the neighborhood than Han, expressing a favorable view.
Political circles say the outcome could remain hard to predict even if the three-way race continues through Election Day without a unified candidacy. A poll commissioned by NewsTomato and conducted by MediaTomato on April 24-25 of 802 Buk-gu Gap residents age 18 and older (wireless ARS; details available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website) showed Ha at 35.5%, Park at 26.0% and Han at 28.5%, a tight contest within the margin of error. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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