Pohang Mayoral Race: Why Park Hee-jung’s 2025 Vision is a Game Changer for Local Economy

Park officially announced her candidacy for the Pohang mayoral election during the conference.

Political analysts suggest that the race could become competitive again, as Democratic candidates have previously come close to victory. In the 2018 Pohang mayoral election, Democratic candidate Heo Dae-man secured a substantial 42.41% of the vote, resulting in a tight contest.

In her announcement, Park emphasized the city’s economic challenges by presenting local indicators. She noted, “The registered population has declined from 519,000 in 2014 to 488,000 in 2025, and the steel industry workforce has shrunk from 16,000 to 13,000 workers.” Park added, “Our employment rate lags behind the national average, while unemployment and business closure rates continue to climb.”

Park stressed her efforts to address these issues, stating, “I’ve been working tirelessly to have our area designated as a preemptive response region for employment crises amid the steel industry downturn. We need a mayor from the ruling party who can effectively collaborate with the central government to design and implement national policies.”

Park framed this election as a crucial opportunity to align local governance with national policies and outlined three key visions for the city. First, she aims to position Pohang as a hub for national strategic projects by securing the National Arctic Shipping Information Center and fostering marine, logistics, energy, and data industries in preparation for increased Arctic shipping.

Second, Park plans to transform Pohang into a city of sustainable industries for the next century. This includes promoting steel innovation to meet RE100 and carbon neutrality goals, developing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industries for naval and commercial vessels, and implementing a community-based energy transition model that shares profits with residents.

Third, she pledged to create a city that retains its population by introducing free public transportation for youth, settlement incentives for young adults, and policies to support women re-entering the workforce after career breaks.

Park, a seasoned politician, has served three terms as a city councilor, winning elections in 2014, 2018, and 2022. She previously chaired the Autonomy Administration Committee in the 9th Pohang City Council and, until recently, led the Democratic Party’s Pohang Nam-gu Ulleung-gun regional committee.