With the June 3 local elections just two days away, the camps of Park Heong-jun, the People Power Party candidate for Busan mayor, and Jeon Jae-soo, the Democratic Party candidate for Busan mayor, are escalating last-minute tensions by raising allegations of "black propaganda" and "government-backed election interference," respectively. The clash over electoral fairness has further heightened tensions in the race.
On Sunday, Park's election committee said, "We have received multiple tips that a senior official of Jeon's election committee is spreading malicious black propaganda," adding that "we are gathering related evidence." The committee said baseless rumors were being widely circulated at hair salons and real estate offices across the city, claiming that "person-to-person word-of-mouth operations, which work by spreading regardless of truth, are despicable and anti-democratic."
In particular, regarding Jeon's camp's criticism of former President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Busan and the Gadeokdo New Airport issue, Park's camp counterattacked, saying, "While taking issue with someone else's past, they are showing the contradiction of appointing a figure who opposed the Gadeokdo New Airport as their election committee chairman." Park's camp set up a "Rumor Reporting Center" the same day to receive tips from citizens.
The previous day, Jeon's election committee had targeted Park's camp by raising the possibility of election interference using public institutions, affiliated agencies and welfare facilities. Jeon's camp warned, "When a figure who has wielded immense administrative authority and influence stands as one side of the election, concerns that public organizations could be mobilized for the vote are by no means unfounded," adding, "We will track every form of interference attempt — including organized voting support using vehicles, invisible pressure, and covert directives — to the end and hold those responsible accountable."
The camp also raised its voice, saying, "We will no longer tolerate any wrongdoing dressed up in the name of practice or custom," and "Centered on our election fraud monitoring team, we will not let a single suspicious case slide, from the pre-planning stage through voting and ballot counting."
In the end, Park's camp has pulled out the frame of "black propaganda and rumors," while Jeon's camp has deployed the frame of "government-backed election and organizational mobilization," each pressuring the other side with allegations and warning messages. Political observers say that as the election enters its final stretch and rallying the support base becomes increasingly important, the intensity of attacks on the rival camp is rising.
A local political insider said, "Both sides are emphasizing electoral fairness, but the result is a strategy of taking issue with the rival camp's morality and campaign methods to seize the upper hand in the final stretch," adding, "The closer voting day approaches, the fiercer the war of nerves is likely to become."
