Park Min-shik, People Power Party (PPP) candidate for the Busan Buk-A National Assembly by-election, took direct aim on Wednesday at former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who is running as an independent, saying, "He is repeatedly using the phrase 'conservative rebuilding' just to enter the National Assembly, but I hope he first reflects on and repents for how deeply he has wounded the conservative camp himself."
Branding himself as a "true Buk-gu native," Park stressed, "The most important standard in this election is 'how deeply one understands Buk-gu.' A Buk-gu lawmaker must not simply be a politician with name recognition, but someone who can actually solve Buk-gu's problems."
In an interview with Seoul Economic Daily at his campaign office that day, Park said, "Someone whom fans approach for photos out of curiosity is different from someone who will develop Buk-gu with a sense of responsibility. The standard for choice will ultimately be: who is the person who will hold an umbrella over me when I am in difficulty?"
Park presented his status as a local native as his strength. Having served two terms as a National Assembly member representing Buk-gu in the 18th and 19th Assemblies, Park said, "A true Buk-gu native knows the voices on the ground best." He added, "Buk-gu is a region that absolutely cannot be understood through desk data alone. You have to directly hear and feel on the ground which traffic sections are congested, which commercial districts are collapsing, and what parents raising children are most anxious about."
Park also pointed out that his rival, Democratic Party candidate Ha Jeong-woo, fails to properly reflect Buk-gu's reality. "Candidate Ha claimed 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," he 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 does not even know basic statistics?"
Based on his on-the-ground expertise, Park also presented a "Buk-gu Renaissance" vision. "I have prepared resident-focused, life-oriented pledges that bundle education, transportation, and urban regeneration together," he explained. Specifically, his plan is to include the Gupo-Gaya section in the Gyeongbu Line undergrounding project, and on the land secured through the underground conversion of the Gyeongbu railway, to attract aviation logistics industries connected to Gadeokdo New Airport along with parks.
-The Busan Buk-A election has emerged as the region of greatest national interest. What is the meaning of this election?
△It is a fight over "who can best solve" Buk-gu's pending issues, where realistic challenges such as transportation, education, housing, and the decline of commercial districts are all concentrated. Buk-gu is currently evaluated as the region with the slowest pace of development even within Busan. Residents do not feel that any of the transportation, education, or housing problems have been satisfyingly resolved. As someone who has watched the alleyways, markets, and lives of Buk-gu residents more closely than anyone and has worked for change, I am taking on this race with the resolve to show Buk-gu's leap forward not in words but in results. As "Park Min-shik, the true Buk-gu native" who knows Buk-gu's pending issues better than anyone, I will accelerate the time of Buk-gu's stalled development.
-You are emphasizing being a "local native." What is the point of differentiation from competing candidates?
△Buk-gu is a region that absolutely cannot be understood through desk data alone. You have to directly hear and feel on the ground which traffic sections are congested and which commercial districts are collapsing. Based on the "Buk-gu Renaissance" vision, I have prepared life-oriented pledges that bundle education, transportation, and urban regeneration. I will use the undergrounding of the Gupo-Gaya section of the Gyeongbu Line as a stepping stone for Buk-gu's development, and on the secured land, attract aviation logistics industries connected to Gadeokdo New Airport along with parks. In education, through the establishment of an "AI Future Talent Academy," I will make Deokcheon a hub for youth learning and career development, and through the Mandeok "AI Digital Literacy Library," I will be responsible for the digital integration of senior citizens.
-There has been criticism that you previously left Buk-gu by showing your intention to run in another constituency.
△Having served twice as a National Assembly member in Buk-gu, I created the seeds for change. While doing politics, I had no choice but to wrestle with various concerns amid the party's requests and roles. As I now stand before the residents again, the rebukes, advice, forgiveness, and warm welcome you have given me are a lifelong debt. I will run fiercely for Buk-gu's development.
-What is your differentiation strategy with candidate Han Dong-hoon?
△Candidate Han Dong-hoon repeatedly speaks of conservative rebuilding, but I hope he first reflects on and repents for the wounds he himself has inflicted on the conservative camp. The standard for this election is "how deeply one understands Buk-gu." A Buk-gu lawmaker must not be a politician with name recognition, but someone who can actually solve Buk-gu's problems. I have practiced politics that listens to the voices of the alleyways before reports, and I will continue to do so.
-There are also calls for unification with candidate Han Dong-hoon.
△My position is to receive the residents' evaluation with confidence as a People Power Party candidate from start to finish. What is more important than political calculation is who is more prepared and can work more responsibly for Buk-gu. I will be evaluated by my sincerity and capability without wavering.
-How do you view candidate Ha Jeong-woo?
△His claim that Buk-gu's GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) is 120 million won is lamentable. Even Ulsan, Korea's top industrial city, has a per capita GRDP of around 85 million won, while Buk-gu has no production facilities and ranks at the bottom even within Busan. I want to ask whether this is "ignorance" that does not even know basic statistics despite calling himself an AI expert, or "arrogance" trying to deceive residents with numbers. I will face the painful reality of Buk-gu head-on and present substantive alternatives.
-What are the causes of Buk-A's economic downturn and how do you plan to solve them?
△Relatively insufficient cultural and educational infrastructure and transportation problems are working in combination. I will simultaneously push for transportation improvement, urban regeneration, and the expansion of educational infrastructure to inject vitality into Buk-gu.
-What are your transportation and commercial district measures for the Deokcheon area?
△Based on my experience laying the foundation for Mandeok Tunnel No. 3 and the underground expressway during the 18th and 19th National Assemblies, I will expand the transportation network. Together with the undergrounding of the Gyeongbu Line, I will activate the youth district by combining night markets, flea markets utilizing local food content, and live festivals.
-What are your plans to expand the lacking cultural and educational infrastructure?
△I will create the Deokcheon "AI Future Talent Academy" for youth, a lifelong learning and culture complex linked to the new Deokcheon government office to handle digital re-employment education for the middle-aged, and an "AI Digital Literacy Library" for senior citizens, building an environment where all generations can learn within Buk-gu.
-The maintenance of aging residential areas in Gupo and Deokcheon is urgent. What are your plans for renovating aging residential areas?
△Aging residential areas are a matter of residents' quality of life, directly tied to issues such as parking shortages and safety. I will push for "people-centered renovation" combining living SOC, transportation, and parks. I will pursue complex development of underground parking lots and living SOC by utilizing school playgrounds, parks, and community center sites, and add expanded IoT sharing of resident-priority parking lots to Buk-gu's shared parking platform to resolve chronic parking shortages and illegal alley parking in aging residential areas and slopes, while also establishing a sharing-economy regional model.
