With three days left until the June 3 local elections, the "feasibility" of Busan mayoral candidates' campaign pledges is emerging as a key variable shaking last-minute voter sentiment. While each candidate has presented a vision for Busan's future, all have shown common limitations in their funding plans and implementation strategies to back them up.
The Busan Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (Busan CCEJ) recently released its evaluation of the mayoral candidates' core pledges, signaling that this election has moved beyond a simple competition of visions into a verification phase of "who can actually deliver."
According to the evaluation, People Power Party candidate Park Heong-jun received high marks for presenting the most concrete fiscal design among the three candidates. The self-circulating fund scheme and fiscal simulation contained in his "Busan Chance" pledge were assessed as presenting the project implementation process and funding structure in relatively detailed fashion.
Park's camp attaches significance to the fact that the policy's feasibility has been objectively verified. However, the possibility of being affected by government support or external variables during project implementation remains a challenge.
Democratic Party candidate Jeon Jae-soo was evaluated as having most accurately identified the structural problems Busan faces, including aging, youth outflow, and care gaps. He attempted differentiation by putting forward policy agendas rarely seen in past local elections, such as universal care allowances and a youth basic income.
However, critics also pointed out that, given the broad scope of his pledges, priorities and phased execution plans were relatively lacking. In particular, a significant portion of his pledges presupposes fiscal support and institutional reform from the central government, making them difficult for a local government to pursue alone — a notable weakness.
Reform Party candidate Jung Yi-han made his presence felt with symbolic pledges differentiated from those of the two major-party candidates. He drew attention by presenting projects citizens can intuitively grasp, including the construction of a retractable-roof domed stadium at Sajik Baseball Stadium and attracting a Netflix House.
By contrast, most of his large-scale investment projects presuppose attracting private capital and the participation of global companies, raising questions about feasibility. The evaluation panel also analyzed that the proposals leaned more toward symbolism and publicity effect than concrete implementation paths.
Participating in the evaluation were professors Park Jae-wook, Cho Eui-soo (Silla University), Shin Kang-won (Kyungsung University), Cho Yong-eon (Dong-A University), and Suh Sung-soo (Youngsan University), along with Doh Han-young, secretary-general of Busan CCEJ.
The evaluation has drawn attention because, rather than ranking the candidates, it starkly exposed the structural limitations the Busan mayoral race carries. Although the three candidates differ in pledge content and approach, they share a common reliance on central government support or private investment for a substantial portion of their plans.
This means that while they promise large-scale projects to change Busan's future, they have failed to sufficiently present the fiscal foundation to pursue them independently. This is the backdrop against which the long-standing tasks of expanding decentralization and improving fiscal self-reliance are re-emerging as central issues.
Political observers say undecided voters in the final stretch of the election are increasingly likely to focus on the realism and feasibility of pledges rather than candidates' political leanings or party affiliation. Ultimately, the contest over the remaining three days will hinge on how persuasive the explanation of "how to get it done" becomes, rather than the declaration of "what will be done," analysts say.
