The Democratic Party significantly increased its seats in the Busan city council election during the June 3 local elections, restoring its presence in the council. However, with the People Power Party (PPP) still securing a majority, Busan Mayor-elect Jeon Jae-soo's administration is expected to operate amid cooperation and checks.
According to the National Election Commission and the Busan Metropolitan Council on Wednesday, the PPP won 37 of the 48 seats in the 10th Busan Metropolitan Council elected in this local election, while the Democratic Party won 11.
The PPP secured 34 constituency seats and three proportional representation seats, while the Democratic Party won eight constituency seats and three proportional representation seats. Compared with four years ago, the result is seen as a clear rebound for the Democratic Party.
In the 9th local elections in 2022, the PPP took 45 of the 47 total seats, effectively monopolizing the city council. It swept all 42 constituency seats and secured three proportional representation seats, showing an overwhelming dominance.
By contrast, the Democratic Party failed to produce a single constituency winner and managed only two proportional representation seats, leaving its parliamentary base effectively collapsed.
In this election, the Democratic Party expanded its influence by increasing its seats to 11. The 10th Busan Metropolitan Council is expected to shift away from the one-sided structure of the past four years toward a framework of policy competition and checks between the two parties.
In particular, with Democratic Party candidate Jeon Jae-soo winning the Busan mayoral election, the relationship with the council has emerged as a new variable in the process of running the city administration.
The Democratic Party expanded its power by securing the mayoral post and substantially increasing its council seats, but the PPP retains its position as an overwhelming majority party with 37 seats, amounting to 77% of all seats.
Accordingly, the cooperation of the PPP is expected to become important during the council's deliberation of major pledges, budget proposals, and organizational restructuring plans pursued by Jeon.
Political circles interpret the result as a balanced structure chosen by Busan's public sentiment. The analysis is that voters entrusted the mayoral office to the Democratic Party while keeping the council under a PPP-centered system, calling for mutual checks between the executive branch and the council.
"Taking together the results of the Busan mayoral election, the basic local government head elections, and the city council elections, we have confirmed a public sentiment that chose balance and checks rather than giving overwhelming power to a specific party," a local political official said. "The success of the Jeon Jae-soo administration will depend on how stable a cooperative structure it can build with a city council dominated by the PPP."
Meanwhile, of the 48 council members elected this time, two are serving their third term, 15 their second term, and 31 their first term, with first-term members accounting for 64.6%, indicating that a major generational shift has also taken place.
