Park Heong-jun, the incumbent Busan mayor seeking renomination in the People Power Party's primary, has made a full-throated appeal for conservative unity and consolidation as the race enters its final stretch. He framed the upcoming election as "a watershed that will determine both Busan's future and the fate of Korean democracy," effectively putting the ruling administration on trial.
At a press conference held at the Busan Metropolitan Council on Thursday, Park said, "This Busan mayoral election is not a simple local contest but a fateful turning point that will decide whether Busan leaps forward as a global city or falls behind." He added, "If we win in Busan, Korea can rise again, but if we lose, the entire nation could be pushed backward."
He took direct aim at the current administration, criticizing that "after seizing the legislature and the executive branch, it is now extending its influence to the judiciary through judicial reform distortions." He warned, "If they take local government power as well, the country will effectively degenerate into a one-party state." Park continued, "The separation of powers and the rule of law are being undermined, and selective justice runs rampant. What we are witnessing is dictatorship wrapped in the guise of legality — democratic on the surface but authoritarian at its core."
Park also directed introspection toward his own party. "I will not shirk responsibility for the disappointment and anger caused by the first opposition party's failure to meet the public's expectations," he said, adding, "But now is not the time to sit down in defeat. It is the time to channel that anger into the strength to protect this country." He declared, "If conservatives split, the nation collapses," pledging to "raise the banner of conservative grand unity in Busan and rebuild a conservatism that wins and takes responsibility."
He also emphasized Busan's political symbolism, defining the city as "the last breakwater of Korean democracy and the Nakdong River front line." Park stated, "If Busan holds, Korea stands again," arguing that "Busan is the place that can block the tide of power monopoly hiding behind a mask of democracy." He asserted, "The outcome of this election will determine the nation's balance."
With the primary campaign period nearing its end, Park appealed, "The choice rests with citizens and party members. I ask you to be the last witnesses who testify that democracy is still alive." He called for support, saying, "Let us start again from Busan with the common-sense principle that the people, not those in power, are the masters of this country. I will unite conservatives as one, revive Busan, and defend Korea."