[General Election Battleground](16) Busan Bukgap... Well-Prepared Jeon Jae-su VS Veteran Power Seo Byung-soo

Former Mayor Seo Byung-su... Falling Behind in Polls
Two-term Jeon Jae-su... Party and Leader Risks Are Variables
Debate Over Escalator at Deokcheon Station Continues

"It seems neck and neck."

On the 14th, Jin (63), whom I met at Gupo Market in Buk-gu, Busan, tilted his head as if facing a difficult problem and read the general election situation like this. Running a food store, he said, "Some say Seo Byeong-su of the People Power Party seems a bit ahead, but Jeon Jae-su has laid a lot of groundwork, so I don't know how it will turn out." Kim (67), who overheard the questions and answers between the reporter and Jin, also expressed agreement, saying, "They are similar." Even within the narrow market, opinions varied.

Panoramic view of Gupo Market in Busan.
Photo by Choi Young-chan

The Busan Buk-gu Gap electoral district attracts political attention in many ways. For the Democratic Party of Korea, aiming for a majority, it is a key point in the Nakdong River belt, the last line of defense in the Busan-Gyeongnam-Ulsan (so-called PK) region that must never be lost. Jeon has won the last two elections, making him a valuable PK re-elected lawmaker for the Democratic Party. The People Power Party, hoping to return to the ruling party status, also deployed Seo, a former mayor of Busan, to this district through a constituency reassignment strategy. The plan is to regain Buk-gu Gap with Seo’s recognition and political skills as a prominent multi-term politician in Busan.

Early polls showed Jeon leading. According to a poll conducted by JTBC through Metavoice on the 12th and 13th via 100% wireless telephone interviews for Busan Buk-gap, Jeon Jae-su of the Democratic Party recorded 47%, Seo Byeong-su of the People Power Party 38%, and Bae Gi-seok of the Reform New Party 1%. In the question about the likelihood of winning, Jeon was 15 percentage points higher than Seo. However, since this poll was conducted before the electoral district was redrawn, it is still premature to make a judgment on the situation.

Jeon shows strengths in candidate competitiveness, but his affiliation with the Democratic Party is rather a hindrance. Jeong, who runs a vegetable store and is in his 50s, said, "(The) party is the problem," expressing concern, "Jeon Jae-su is good, but I dislike the party leader (Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party leader)." However, he added, "Many people around me say they support Jeon even over a cup of coffee."

There were also opinions that Seo should be supported as a representative politician of Busan. A self-employed person running a restaurant said, "Seo is a prominent figure representing Busan; he would be suitable anywhere."

Seo moved his constituency from Busan Jin-gu Gap, where he had built his political base, to Busan Buk-gu Gap following recommendations from the People Power Party’s nomination management committee ahead of this general election.

From Collaborators to Competitors

Seo Byung-su, the People Power Party candidate for Busan Buk-gu Gap, is having a conversation with residents near Deokcheon Station on the 14th.
[Photo by Choi Young-chan]

Seo and Jeon have maintained a reasonably good relationship so far. As politicians active in Busan, there were many areas for cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties. However, a tense atmosphere now exists between the two as competitors in the same electoral district.

After finishing an event with local residents near Deokcheon Station in Buk-gu, Seo told the reporter, "Personally, I think well of Jeon," adding, "Above all, he has been in the area for eight years and is known as a decent politician who has had many exchanges with people in every corner." Yet he also pointed out, "Some residents ask many questions about what he has done for regional development as a lawmaker over the past eight years." In other words, he indirectly questioned what Jeon has accomplished in eight years.

Jeon also met the reporter at his campaign office that day and said, "Seo is a politician I personally respect, with experience and career," but added, "I don’t know why he came here (Buk-gu Gap)." He emphasized, "A lawmaker is someone who works, but it seems he didn’t come to work and came according to the party’s orders," responding to the People Power Party’s reassignment of Seo, a senior politician from Yeongnam, from Busan Jin-gu Gap to Buk-gu Gap.

Their opinions also diverged on the local long-standing project of installing an escalator at Exit 1 of Deokcheon Station.

Seo said, "Buk-gu residents have requested escalators at Exit 1 of Deokcheon Station for about ten years, but it hasn’t been done," adding, "If a lawmaker had the will, it could have been done anytime, so I wonder why it was missed." Jeon rebutted, "The escalator installation at Deokcheon Station has been underway since 2021 when I started government questioning at the National Assembly’s Budget and Accounts Committee," and said, "He came late and now says he will do it."

Jeon Jae-su, the Democratic Party candidate for Buk-san Buk-gu Gap, is talking with reporters at his campaign office on the 14th.
Photo by Choi Young-chan

Jeon cited his meaningful achievements over the past eight years in his constituency activities as the pledge fulfillment rate and the demolition of Gupo Dog Market. He said, "Busan and Daegu MBC jointly evaluated the pledge fulfillment rates of 18 Busan lawmakers, and I ranked first with 98%." He also emphasized, "We completely demolished the 60-year-old Gupo Dog Market, one of the three major dog markets nationwide."

Seo chose the high-speed rail (KTX) connection project as the most important pledge if the escalator project is a promise residents want. He said emphatically, "We will build a KTX connecting Gupo-Deokcheon comprehensive station, Gimhae Airport, and the new Gadeokdo Airport."