PPP picks incumbent Mayor Park as Busan mayoral candidate

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon states his bid for a third term at a building in Bujeon-dong in the Busanjin District of Busan, March 28. Yonhap

Park Heong-joon, the incumbent mayor of Busan seeking a third term in the June 3 local elections, has been selected as the main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) candidate for mayor of the southeastern port city, the party said Saturday.

Park secured a majority of the votes in the primary, defeating first-term lawmaker Rep. Joo Jin-woo, and was confirmed as the party's final candidate, according to Park Duk-hyum, chairman of the party's nomination management committee.

Park will face Rep. Jeon Jae-soo, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) candidate for Busan mayor, in the upcoming election.

"Now is the time for victory. I will serve as the field commander and vanguard for all PPP candidates," Park said, adding he would block what he described as the DPK's "one-party dominance without checks."

Park was first elected Busan mayor in a 2021 by-election and was reelected in July 2022.

Last month, he shaved his head to call for the swift passage of the "Special Act on the Development of Busan as a Global Hub City," which aims to transform the southeastern port city into a global hub.

The bill has remained pending in committee for nearly two years since it was reintroduced in May 2024 after being scrapped at the end of the previous National Assembly term.