Jungwoo Ha Visits Gupo Market in Busan: "Sorry for Being Late... I Will Revitalize Buk-gu"

"I will revitalize Buk-gu with government support"
Encounters with Han Donghoon and Lee Junseok

Jung-woo Ha, former senior AI advisor at the Blue House, is greeting merchants at Gupo Market in Buk-gu, Busan, on the afternoon of the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News.

Ha Jungwoo, former Senior Secretary for Future Planning and AI at the Blue House, who officially announced his candidacy as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the Busan Buk-gap National Assembly by-election, visited Gupo Market in Buk-gu, Busan to meet with local residents.

On April 29, at around 4:15 p.m., Ha first stopped by Gupo Station in Busan, then visited the Buk-gu Gap regional party committee to greet party members, before heading to Gupo Market at 5:20 p.m.

Explaining why he chose Gupo Market as his first stop in Busan, Ha said, “I thought this was the most symbolic place,” adding, “I felt it was only right to greet my hometown neighbors first, to say, ‘The son of Buk-gu has returned.’”

When Ha arrived at the market, citizens already gathered there began chanting “Ha Jungwoo.” Many expressed both delight and regret, asking, “Why did you come so late?” and eagerly requested selfies and autographs.

To merchants who mentioned Assemblyman Jeon Jaesoo, who represents the Buk-gap district, Ha responded by bowing deeply and saying, “I will continue after Jaesoo and work to further develop Buk-gu.”

He then walked through various alleys of the market, personally purchasing strawberries and tangerines and sampling fish cakes on the spot, strengthening his connections with local residents.

Ha said, “Even when I was at the Blue House, I participated in policies to revitalize local business districts,” and added, “I will develop strategies and consider how to drive growth, such as modernizing local markets. With support from the government, I will work to truly revitalize it.”

Earlier, Ha had an unexpected encounter with Han Donghoon, former leader of the People Power Party, who had arrived at Gupo Market first to appeal for support from merchants. After exchanging a handshake and a hug, Han said, “It’s been a while since we met. Let’s do our best,” to which Ha replied, “We talked about how glad we were to see each other after a long time and also wished each other good health, since campaigning takes a lot of stamina.”

Ha also ran into Lee Junseok, who was touring the market with Jeong Ihan, the Reform Party’s Busan mayoral candidate. Lee asked Ha, “Are you doing politics now?” When Ha responded affirmatively, Lee remarked, “If you’ve come, you should win.”

Wrapping up his visit, Ha said, “Today, I couldn’t meet as many people as I’d like because of time constraints, such as my train schedule, but I will visit two or three more times to listen to the concerns of merchants and help resolve them.”

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