- People Power Party candidates Lee Yong-sik and Yoon Jong-woon declare bids in succession - Criticism directed at incumbent Mayor Na Dong-yeon - Major pledges include transportation projects and administrative consolidation
With the nationwide local elections scheduled for June 3, the contest for Yangsan mayor in South Gyeongsang Province is intensifying. In the People Power Party, former city council chair Han Ok-mun declared his candidacy last month and has been rolling out development pledges to build support. Now, preliminary candidates Lee Yong-sik and Yoon Jong-woon have announced campaigns in quick succession, leveling criticisms at incumbent Mayor Na Dong-yeon while unveiling their policy agendas.
On the 9th, Lee held a press briefing in the Yangsan City Hall briefing room to formally announce his bid and to challenge the city administration’s management of major development projects. He cited recent attempts by a member of the mayor’s family to change land-use plans and raised concerns about the Shingi 2 District development. Warning that “absolute power can lead to absolute corruption,” he argued that the Shingi 2 project and the Jeungsan District housing plan risk granting excessive benefits to specific developers and could produce an oversupply in the housing market.
As part of his vision for Yangsan’s future, Lee emphasized administrative consolidation across Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang. He argued that Yangsan’s connectivity and geographic position make it an ideal site for a centralized government complex. Lee said he would revise the Jeungsan development plan to secure land for public facilities and to attract an integrated government building, the city council and other key public institutions. He also proposed expanding transport infrastructure—among them the Nopo-dong–Woonsang light rail, a Southeast regional loop rail, the Cheonseongsan Tunnel and the Obongsan Tunnel—and advancing balanced development across the old downtown, new towns and the Woonsang area.
On the 10th, Yoon pledged to make Yangsan the economic center of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam area and to turn it into a city that attracts young people back. He highlighted his business management experience and framed his campaign around integrity and accountable governance, saying he intends to pursue politics that improves citizens’ everyday lives rather than politics that uses power for private gain.
Yoon’s first initiative, titled “Unblocked Yangsan, One United City,” sets out three core transportation policies. He proposes building an outer ring road that links Local Road 60 with the Cheonseongsan Tunnel, creating a new Yangsan interchange on the Busan Outer Ring Expressway and addressing chronic congestion points, and introducing demand-responsive buses (DRT) in Woongsang and Sasong new towns as part of a smart public transit system.
Quoting a line from Lee Hyung-gi’s poem “Nakhwa” (Falling Flowers), Yoon referenced the verse, “How beautiful is the silhouette of someone who knows exactly when it is time to leave,” and appealed for a mature, non-possessive farewell. In that context, he urged Mayor Na Dong-yeon not to seek re-election.
According to the National Election Commission, 11 people have registered as preliminary candidates for Yangsan mayor so far, the second-highest number in South Gyeongsang after Changwon. Yangsan’s symbolic status as a key city along the Nakdong River corridor has intensified nomination battles in both major parties. The Democratic Party’s preliminary candidates include Kim Il-gwon, Park Dae-jo, Park Jae-woo, Park Jong-seo, Seo Sang-tae, Im Jae-chun, Jo Moon-gwan and Choi Seon-ho. The People Power Party’s field includes Yoon Jong-woon, Lee Yong-sik and Han Ok-mun.
Gyeongnam = Reporter Donam-seon aegookja@viva100.com
