Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Park focuses on Busan home turf
.jpg?w=728)
Rep. Park Geun-hye, presidential contender of the ruling Saenuri Party, tries a “hoddeok: pancake as a merchant cheers her on during a campaign rally at Busan International Film Festival Square in Busan, Friday. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Park Geun-hye, the presidential candidate of the ruling Saenuri Party, visited Busan Friday to woo voters there amid signs of declining support with 40 days left before the presidential poll.
The country’s second largest city has typically been home turf for the conservative party, but recently it has emerged as a key battlefield in the upcoming election with its ties to Park’s liberal rivals: it is the constituency of Moon Jae-in, the Democratic United Party’s candidate, and the hometown of independent Ahn Cheol-soo.
Experts say Park must secure support of at least 60 percent of voters in the city to win the presidency.
But the 60-year-old conservative apparently has sensed signs of a growing despondency, while fighting against formidable opponents.
In recent surveys, Moon and Ahn, who recently began working on choosing a unified liberal candidate, garnered support of nearly 40 percent in a hypothetical two-way race with Park.
During her visit, the ruling party’s standard bearer revealed her vision for developing the city to attract voters.
“I will make Busan the hub of shipping finance in Northeast Asia. I will establish a public corporation for shipping finance and place its head office here,” she said.
“I will also expand the necessary infrastructure; to include building a graduate school specialized in shipping finances and derivative products.” Under the proposed vision, she also suggested the establishment of Busan international maritime exchange market and pledged to promote it as a leading shipping exchange in Northeast Asia.
Prior to this, Park had pledged to reestablish the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries after adopting suggestions made by the party’s lawmakers from the Busan region. The ministry was launched in 1996 to effectively deal with maritime functions but was abolished in 2008 when President Lee Myung-bak transferred its functions to two other ministries.
However, the daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee did not elaborate on details about building a new international airport in the southeastern part of the country. Election watchers say this is because it is a sensitive issue that could cause internal disputes in the party.
As it is expected to greatly boost the regional economy, lawmakers from South Gyeongsang Province have been calling for an airport to be built in Milyang, while those from Busan want it in nearby Gadeokdo