Park Min-shik, the People Power Party candidate in the parliamentary by-election for Busan's Buk-A district, said on Wednesday that Han Dong-hoon, an independent candidate running in the same race, "should first reflect on and repent for how deeply he has wounded the conservative camp."
Emphasizing his roots as a "native of Buk-gu," Park expressed confidence, saying, "A person who attracts curiosity because fans come to take photos with him is different from a person who will hold up an umbrella for you in difficult times. In the end, voters will choose Park Min-shik, a sincere person, a 'Buk-gu person.'"
In an interview with Seoul Economic Daily at his campaign office that day, Park dismissed the possibility of a conservative unification, saying, "My position from start to finish is that I will stand and be evaluated proudly as the People Power Party candidate."
He also criticized his rival, Democratic Party candidate Ha Jung-woo, for failing to properly grasp the realities of Buk-gu. "Candidate Ha claimed that Buk-gu's gross regional domestic product (GRDP) is 120 million won, and I cannot help but lament what he actually knows about Buk-gu," Park said. "Buk-gu has no production facilities and ranks at the bottom even within Busan. He calls himself an artificial intelligence (AI) expert, but is this 'ignorance' that doesn't even know basic statistics?"
Putting forward his image as a "real Buk-gu person," Park cited his understanding of local issues as his strength. "Buk-gu is a region that can never be understood through desk data alone," he said. "You have to directly listen to and feel on the ground the traffic congestion zones, the collapsing commercial districts, and the anxieties of parents raising children. Only a real Buk-gu person can know it best."
Park said he has presented a "Buk-gu Renaissance" vision based on his on-the-ground experience. "I will include the Gupo-Gaya section in the Gyeongbu Line undergrounding project and use it as a stepping stone for Buk-gu's development. On the land secured through the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line railway, I will attract the aviation logistics industry that supports Gadeokdo New Airport along with parks," he explained. "I will restore the standing of Gupo, which once flourished as a Nakdong River logistics hub."
On education, he said, "I will establish an 'AI Future Talent Academy' in the Deokcheon area to develop it into a hub for youth learning and career paths, and through a lifelong learning and cultural complex linked to the new Deokcheon government building, I will encompass education for the middle-aged and elderly as well." He added, "In Mandeok, I will create an 'AI Digital Literacy Library' to address the digital divide for senior citizens."
For aging residential areas, Park said he would resolve issues through "people-centered redevelopment" that simultaneously expands community social overhead capital (SOC), transportation, and parks. "I will pursue mixed-use development of underground parking lots and community SOC utilizing school playgrounds, parks, and community center sites, and expand Internet of Things (IoT) sharing of resident-priority parking on the Buk-gu shared parking platform to resolve the chronic parking shortages and illegal alley parking in aging residential areas and sloped neighborhoods," he said.
