Translation result.
Candidates traded sharp exchanges during the final, third primary debate to choose the People Power Party’s nominee for Busan mayor.
At the KNN-hosted debate on the 7th, Mayor Park Hyung-joon and Rep. Joo Jin-woo squared off over policies for an ultra-aged society, welfare, education and tourism. Park highlighted that his administration created 70,000 jobs for seniors during his term. “Large urban resort cities tend to have older populations,” he said, adding that over the past five years he has expanded welfare centers and sports facilities for older residents.
Rep. Joo said Busan has already entered an ultra-aged society and pledged to create an additional 30,000 income-generating jobs for seniors. “By assigning seniors work that is not physically demanding, we can create revenue-generating jobs that will also help neighborhood businesses,” he argued.
On welfare, the candidates’ views were largely aligned. Park said, “We need to get seniors out of the house.” He stressed the importance of ending senior isolation by encouraging friendship-building at welfare centers and community sports facilities. He also proposed linking welfare to job creation so seniors can build social ties through productive activities.
Rep. Joo proposed an annual education voucher worth 200,000 KRW (approximately $150) for seniors. “This will make lifelong learning a reality,” he said. “Many strong universities in Busan have unused classroom capacity. We can use those spaces so seniors can study and practice in areas like education, culture, the arts and the humanities.”
The two also clashed over Park’s RISE initiative, aimed at education and workforce development. Park said RISE strengthens ties between local industry and the region and builds a system for companies to train Busan’s young talent. “We secured roughly 158 billion KRW (approximately $118.5 million) in RISE funding — the second-largest allocation nationwide,” he noted (approximately $118.5 million).
Rep. Joo criticized the incentives evaluation, saying it found Busan’s plans lacked detail and showed insufficient municipal resolve. “Gwangju and North Chungcheong received 17.3 billion KRW (approximately $13.0 million), while Busan secured only 3.5 billion KRW (approximately $2.63 million),” he said. He acknowledged the initiative’s achievements but criticized the lack of precise planning needed to win larger incentives (17.3 billion KRW ≈ $13.0 million; 3.5 billion KRW ≈ $2.63 million).
The candidates also offered contrasting approaches to tourism. Park argued that tourist evaluations of Busan have been strong over the past five years and emphasized a food-focused strategy. “It’s not just about expensive gourmet offerings,” he said. “We should brand affordable local foods with good value so visitors feel Busan has abundant dining options.”
Rep. Joo urged officials to account for the current exchange rate near the 1,500 KRW (approximately $1.13) level and to prepare strategies for when the rate stabilizes. “Rather than concentrating only on visitor numbers, we should focus on length of stay and per-visitor spending,” he said. “We also need to develop a high-revenue, ‘Busan-style safe medical tourism’ system that combines medical services with leisure.”
The People Power Party will hold a two-day vote on the 9th and 10th, and plans to name its final Busan mayoral candidate on the 11th.
Most Commented