Chief Ha Jungwoo Responds to Busan By-election Offer: "I Prefer to Work at the Blue House for Now"

When asked, "What would you do if the President told you to decide?"
Senior Secretary Ha replied, "I would choose to stay."

Ha Jungwoo, Chief of AI Future Planning at the Blue House, who has been receiving calls from the ruling party to run in the Busan Buk-gu Gap by-election, stated on April 14, "I prefer to focus on my work at the Blue House for the time being."

Appearing on SBS's "Kim Taehyun's Political Show" that day, Chief Ha said, "The President told me to work, so I should work hard," affirming his position. He added, "Depending on the President's decision, I may continue my work, or things might change. The President may leave the decision to me, or he may decide what best serves the national interest."

Jung-woo Ha, Chief of AI Future Planning at the Blue House, is speaking at the 3rd meeting of the AI Innovation Committee held at GS Tower in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on April 10, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

When asked, "What will you do if the President tells you to decide?" Chief Ha replied, "I will choose to remain." He clarified, "It is not that Busan is unimportant; the AI transformation in Busan is extremely important. However, I personally believe that the national strategy being carried out at the Blue House is currently more important."

Chief Ha further explained, "The President may have a different view of the national interest, so I am not making the decision on my own; instead, I would consult the President on this matter."

When asked about the party's comment that "you have already cleared 80% of the hurdles," Chief Ha responded, "I'm not sure what criteria the party is using. I have not received any further contact since Thursday (April 9)." He also stated that there are no plans for a meeting with Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheongrae.

Previously, Lee Yeonhee, Head of Strategic Planning for the Democratic Party, said at a press briefing on April 12, "Chief Ha recently met with the party's Secretary-General and senior members, and this week, leader Jeong plans to meet him in person to ask him to run."

Meanwhile, on April 9, President Lee Jaemyung told Chief Ha, "There is much work to be done, so you should not be swayed by other offers." This was a veiled reference to the ruling party's efforts to recruit Ha Jungwoo, to which Chief Ha replied at the time, "I will focus on my work."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.