Buk-gu (A) By-election Candidates Complete Early Voting, Launch Final Campaign Push

Candidates in the Busan Buk-gu (District A) by-election cast their early votes on May 29, the first day of the early voting period. With no incumbent lawmaker representing the district, attention is focused on who will emerge victorious in this election, which could also influence the landscape of the local elections. Fierce exchanges between candidates and the direction of voter sentiment are drawing significant interest.

Exchanges between candidates continued. After completing his early vote at the Deokcheon 2-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Buk-gu, Busan, candidate Ha Jeong-woo responded to an issue raised by candidate Park Min-sik regarding the birthplace listed on his campaign leaflet, stating, "I listed it because my residential registration records indicate Buk-gu." Candidate Park had argued that "the administrative district of Buk-gu did not exist in 1977, the year of Ha's birth," claiming the information was "different from objective facts."

The verbal sparring that occurred during a TV debate carried over to the early voting day. One candidate pointed out another's response regarding a 'withdrawal of charges' as akin to being interrogated in a "prosecutor's office." Ha Jeong-woo, in turn, likened supporters of another candidate visiting the district to "pop-up shops," expressing inconvenience to residents.