Busan: President Lee Jae Myung attended the national "Sea Day" ceremony in Busan on Wednesday and pledged to turn the city into "Korea's undisputed maritime capital" while developing the broader southeastern region into a southern maritime economic zone. The annual event has previously rotated among cities nationwide, but this year's ceremony was held in Busan to commemorate the planned relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries there.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee also unveiled plans to expand logistics infrastructure linking ports, airports, railways, and highways while creating a tourism belt spanning the entire southern coast. Yet this was not the first time the president had focused political attention on the Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang region. At a Cabinet meeting the previous day, Lee said the relocation of the oceans ministry and shipping company HMM to Busan would be followed by additional transfers of public institutions and private companies. The ministry then announced plans to develop Busan as a maritime business center, Ulsan as a clean-energy hub, and South Gyeongsang as an artificial intelligence-based supply chain center.
Lee immediately traveled to Changwon in South Gyeongsang before visiting Jagalchi Market in Busan and meeting local residents during a two-day regional tour. Ahead of the June 3 local elections, the region is witnessing closely contested races for mayoral and gubernatorial offices as well as a parliamentary by-election in Busan's Buk-A district. The president has already visited the region four times this month, including stops at a traditional market in Gimhae and a K-shipbuilding forum in Ulsan. He also toured the planned site of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport project, another long-standing regional development issue.
Previous presidents have also attended regional events before elections and faced criticism from opposition parties. Yet critics argue the scale and frequency of Lee's visits have gone too far. Opposition parties say it is difficult not to view the president's repeated regional tours and development pledges as direct involvement in elections, despite the constitutional obligation for political neutrality. Former President Park Geun-hye, meanwhile, also campaigned Wednesday for People Power Party candidates at a traditional market in Gijang, Busan, following earlier appearances in Daegu and Daejeon. Critics say it is equally inappropriate for an impeached former president to appear so actively during an election season.
The Democratic Party itself, while in opposition in previous years, often accused sitting presidents of conducting "illegal government-backed elections" whenever they traveled to regional areas during campaigns. Political leaders should stop attempting to influence elections through excessive political maneuvering.