Busan Mayor-Elect Jeon Jae-soo said he will focus the city government's capacity on stabilizing people's livelihoods immediately after taking office. His plan is to first prop up the working-class economy, which is struggling with high prices and economic recession, before opening Busan's future growth potential around the pillars of completing the maritime capital, pioneering the Arctic route, and the transition to artificial intelligence (AI).
In an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily on Wednesday, Jeon assessed the meaning of the June 3 local election results this way, saying, "I will prove my competence not through flashy words or numbers, but solely through work and results." Having secured political momentum as a member of the ruling Democratic Party, he is regarded as someone who understands the workings of the central government, having served as a three-term National Assembly member and Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.
The first policy Jeon will roll out upon taking office is the "100-Day Emergency Livelihood Measure." The plan is to first revive the working-class economy, shaken by high prices and economic recession, ahead of any macro vision. He plans to immediately establish a "Special Headquarters for Livelihood Relief" under the direct supervision of the mayor and intensively push life-oriented measures such as fuel cost support for small-scale truck owners, energy vouchers for small business owners, expansion of the limit on the local currency Dongbaekjeon, and support for delivery and card fees. "If citizens' lives collapse, any vision becomes hollow," Jeon said. "Livelihood stability is the starting point of city administration."
Busan currently faces structural problems of population decline and youth outflow stemming from industrial stagnation. Jeon presented "completing Busan as the maritime capital" as the solution. His plan is to create a growth axis to rival the capital region based on Busan Port, a world-class transshipment port, with the goal of growing Busan into the center of the national maritime industry beyond simply improving the city's image.
To this end, Jeon plans to push for building a maritime industry ecosystem combining administrative, judicial, corporate, and financial functions. Centered on the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, he plans to additionally attract core public institutions such as the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation, and to establish a maritime judicial system anchored by the Maritime Specialized Court scheduled to open in 2028. He plans to induce the stable settlement of shipping conglomerates such as HMM, the nation's largest national-flag carrier, while also raising large-scale investment funds through the establishment of the Southeastern Investment Corporation.
He also cited pioneering the Arctic route as a key variable in Busan's leap forward. He judges that once the Arctic route is commercialized in earnest, Busan can leap beyond being a Northeast Asian transshipment hub to become a global logistics center linking Europe and Asia. Jeon plans to build a control tower to integrate maritime functions scattered between the central government and the city of Busan, and to push a plan to establish an "Arctic Route Promotion Headquarters" under it.
As a breakthrough for Busan's manufacturing, he presented the "AI grand transition." "Since western Busan has a solid manufacturing base, the AI transition is itself competitiveness," Jeon said. "We will build industry-specific AI transition (AX) platforms in the western Busan area, where machinery, auto parts, and shipbuilding equipment industries are concentrated, to raise productivity and lower defect rates."
His plan for the eastern Busan area is to create a "Media AI Special Zone" that combines generative AI with cultural and video infrastructure. "We will grow eastern Busan into a hub for the high-value-added K-content industry," Jeon said. "In connection with Gadeokdo New Airport, we will foster western Busan as a global logistics and business hub behind the port and airport."
As the core of his youth policy, he put forward building a "growth ladder" where young people can build jobs and careers within the region. Beyond guaranteeing first careers and creating a startup ecosystem, he plans to establish a comprehensive support center for freelancers and people with multiple jobs to support various forms of employment.
Regarding the integration of Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province, he laid out a pragmatic, phased approach. "Administrative integration is a long-term task and the direction we must ultimately go," Jeon said, but added, "securing budgets for next year and the year after is more urgent right now." Considering that next year's budget plan has already entered the government's internal compilation process and will pass to the National Assembly in September, the legal basis must first be prepared to reflect common tasks such as a metropolitan transportation network in the budget.
"As it stands now, there is a lack of institutional mechanisms to support metropolitan agenda items," Jeon said. "If we restore the special local government under the Local Autonomy Act, that is, the mega-city, the basis for government support arises." He continued, "If we cling only to administrative integration without an alternative, securing next year's budget could become difficult," and said, "If South Gyeongsang Province cannot present a separate solution, restoring the special union is the realistic choice."
For the project to diversify the Nakdong River water source, he presented a "two-track" approach. The goal is to persuade upstream residents while simultaneously reviewing technical alternatives such as riverbank filtration water and infiltration-type intake, in order to produce results within his term. He also signaled his determination to set up a dedicated task force (TF) to reorganize the implementation system for the Bukhang dome baseball stadium project and pick up speed.
Jeon also conveyed his position that he will boldly push growth strategies but readjust budget priorities to center on citizens' lives. Regarding major cultural projects of the previous administration, such as the Pompidou Busan branch and the opening performances of the Busan Opera House, he said, "I will not halt them all at once," but stressed, "I will weigh their actual effects through citizens' opinions and expert review."
The political task is governance with a city council where the ruling party is in the minority. As a result of the June 3 local elections, the Busan City Council is composed of 37 People Power Party seats and 11 Democratic Party seats out of 48 total. Although the gap has narrowed compared to the previous composition, the People Power Party still holds a large share. The situation in which there is not a single Democratic Party National Assembly member in the region is also a burden for Jeon.
Jeon plans to resolve this through communication. "For the development of Busan, I will not distinguish between ruling and opposition parties," he stressed. "I will create a city administration that decides together with citizens and takes responsibility together."
He is… △Born in 1971 △Graduated from the History Education Department, College of Education, Dongguk University △Master's degree in Political Science, Dongguk University Graduate School △Administrator, Office of the Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs, Cheong Wa Dae △Director of the Second Office of the President, Cheong Wa Dae △20th, 21st, and 22nd-term National Assembly member (Buk-gu and Gangseo-gu A, Busan) △24th Minister of Oceans and Fisheries △Busan Mayor-Elect of the 9th popular election
