In the June 3 local elections for Busan's basic-level municipal heads, the People Power Party (PPP) and the Democratic Party of Korea took nine and seven seats, respectively, signaling that Busan voters opted for "checks and balances." The PPP's 2022 clean sweep has crumbled, but with the Democratic Party also failing to secure a majority, observers say Busan's political landscape has been reshaped into a two-party competition.
According to the National Election Commission's vote count on the 4th, the PPP defended its majority by winning in nine districts: Jung-gu, Seo-gu, Dong-gu, Busanjin-gu, Dongnae-gu, Geumjeong-gu, Yeonje-gu, Suyeong-gu and Haeundae-gu. The Democratic Party produced winners in seven areas: Yeongdo-gu, Nam-gu, Gijang-gun, Buk-gu, Saha-gu, Gangseo-gu and Sasang-gu.
The most striking feature of this election was the Democratic Party's recovery of the Nakdong River belt. In Gangseo-gu, Park Sang-jun defeated Kim Hyung-chan, while in Buk-gu, Jeong Myung-hee won a rematch against Oh Tae-won. In Saha-gu, Kim Tae-seok beat Kim Cheok-su, and in Sasang-gu, Seo Tae-kyung prevailed over PPP and independent candidates.
The Democratic Party also won in Gijang-gun, Nam-gu and Yeongdo-gu. In Gijang-gun, Woo Sung-bin outpaced all rivals in a four-way race, and in Nam-gu, Park Jae-beom achieved a power shift with his victory. In Yeongdo-gu, Kim Cheol-hoon prevailed in a three-way contest against PPP and independent candidates.
The PPP, meanwhile, successfully defended all of the old downtown districts except Yeongdo-gu. In Jung-gu, Choi Jin-bong defeated the Democratic Party's Kang Hee-eun in a race that drew attention as a generational showdown, while Gong Han-su and Kang Cheol-ho won in Seo-gu and Dong-gu, respectively.
In Busanjin-gu, Kim Young-wook maintained his edge in a third head-to-head matchup against Seo Eun-sook. Dongnae-gu's Jang Jun-yong and Geumjeong-gu's Yoon Il-hyun both won re-election, while Suyeong-gu's Kang Sung-tae secured a third term. Haeundae-gu's Kim Sung-soo also won a rematch against Hong Soon-heon, and in Yeonje-gu, Joo Seok-soo defeated a unified Democratic-progressive candidate.
The outcome is being read as a process in which Busan's political landscape is finding a new equilibrium. The Democratic Party took 13 of Busan's 16 districts and counties in the 2018 local elections, but the PPP swept all 16 in 2022.
The PPP avoided a rout like 2018 by holding its majority this time but fell short of its goal of defending every seat. The Democratic Party also missed its target of "winning at least eight," yet emerged from the shock of four years ago to restore a foothold in local power.
A local political insider said, "This election confirmed a new equilibrium in Busan public sentiment — neither the Democratic Party wave of 2018 nor the PPP's dominance of 2022. Cooperation and checks will be key themes in running Busan's city and district governments going forward."
