Yoon Seok-yeol Visits Busan: "Decision on Party Entry Not Yet Made... Won't Keep You Waiting Long" First PK Schedule After Presidential Bid

Meeting with Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun to Visit Bukhang Redevelopment Site, Paying Respects at Minju Park and Chung-hon Tower

Accompanied by People Power Party Busan Constituency Lawmakers Jang Je-won, Ahn Byung-gil, and Kim Hee-gon

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who declared his candidacy for the presidential election, is taking a commemorative photo with supporters at the Chung Hon Tower in Busan Central Park on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol visited Busan on the morning of the 27th and toured the Bukhang redevelopment site together with Park Hyung-joon, Mayor of Busan. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol visited Busan on the 27th for the first time since declaring his presidential candidacy.

Yoon, a leading presidential candidate from the opposition camp, met with Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon in the morning, toured the North Port redevelopment site, and held a press conference.

Regarding his potential entry into the People Power Party, Yoon said, “I have not yet decided whether to join or not.”

On the rumor of joining the party in August, he explained, “The election is more than eight months away,” adding, “It’s a long marathon, so during the process, whether the public or those participating directly or indirectly, I will decide the direction?whether I will run outside the track, enter while running, or stick to a certain lane?and will conclude and inform you without making you wait too long.”

Among those attending Yoon’s schedule in Busan were People Power Party members of the National Assembly from the region, including Ahn Byung-gil, Jang Je-won, and Kim Hee-gon. They also signed a 40-person joint petition urging Yoon to join the party the day before.

Earlier, recalling the Korean War (6.25), Yoon said, “Busan is a place where refugees from all over the country and local residents united to protect the liberal democratic system when the nation was on the brink of extinction.” He evaluated, “The democratic protests condemning the fraudulent March 15 election, which became the driving force of the April 19 Revolution, took place in Busan and Masan, overthrowing the dictatorship, and Busan has produced many political talents who contributed to the democratization of our country.”

He continued, “Based on the logistics systems of Busan Port, railroads, and highways, Busan has made an absolute contribution to Korea’s rapid economic growth, but since the 1990s, the economy of Busan has declined due to the downturn of traditional industries, and it is regrettable that new vitality has not been found.”

Yoon proposed bold fiscal decentralization to local governments as a regional balanced development plan.

He said, “It is necessary to move away from the central government-led method of selecting specific regions to focus on projects and distributing subsidies, and instead pursue balanced development where local governments independently establish development plans through bold fiscal independence.”

He also stated, “The advancement of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) region into a world-class maritime city supported by advanced industries centered on Busan is a matter of vital interest not only to local residents but to the entire nation of Korea.”

Regarding the construction of Gaduk New Airport, Yoon said, “The most important factor in developing Busan into the world’s best maritime city is logistics, and especially for high value-added logistics, an airport is necessary.” He added, “To improve the efficiency and productivity of the airport, various logistics infrastructures linked to the airport must be in place, so those aspects should be prioritized.”

On the nuclear power plants concentrated in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong area, Yoon emphasized the need to continue operation based on safety and criticized the Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy.

He said, “From the third-generation nuclear power plants, it is known that explosions rarely occur in containment buildings and they are safe. Since nuclear power is the most carbon-neutral and economically efficient energy source, it cannot be abandoned even to comply with international climate agreements.”

He also stated, “If there are no safety issues, use them; if there is even a slight problem, since it directly affects the lives of the people, it must be stopped according to procedures.”

Yoon concluded his Busan visit by paying respects at the Democratic Park and the Memorial Tower in Jung-gu, Busan.