{"slug": "busan-s-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex", "title": "Busan's Buk-A by-election shows close race between former presidential aide, ex-PPP leader", "summary": "Democratic Party of Korea candidate Ha Jung-woo holds a razor-thin 42.6 percent to 41.6 percent lead over independent Han Dong-hoon in the Busan Buk-A parliamentary by-election, according to a joint exit poll by KBS, MBC and SBS. The margin falls within the poll's error range, with People Power Party candidate Park Min-shik trailing at 15.8 percent. The closely watched race pits Ha, a former senior presidential secretary for AI, against Han, a former PPP leader, in a contest that could influence South Korea's political landscape.", "body_md": "Ha Jung-woo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and independent candidate Han Dong-hoon are locked in a neck-and-neck race in the parliamentary by-election for Busan's Buk-A constituency, according to an exit poll released 6 p.m. Wednesday by the country's three major broadcasters. In the joint exit poll conducted by KBS, MBC and SBS, Ha held a narrow lead with 42.6 percent of the vote, while Han garnered 41.6 percent, within the margin of error ranging from 1.7 to 4.1 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level. Park Min-shik of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) gained 15.8 percent. The constituency emerged as one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the parliamentary by-elections, which were held alongside the local elections, seen as a duel between Han and Ha that could play a role in shaping the country’s political landscape. Ha was the inaugural senior presidential secretary for artificial intelligence (AI) and future planning. While overseeing the Lee Jae Myung administration's AI strategy, the Busan native joined the DPK's race following re", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-s-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/politics/20260603/busans-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex-ppp-leader?utm_source=rss", "published_at": "2026-06-03 11:22:03+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-03 11:25:30.691378+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy"], "entities": ["Ha Jung-woo", "Han Dong-hoon", "Democratic Party of Korea", "People Power Party", "Park Min-shik", "Lee Jae Myung", "KBS", "MBC"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-s-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-s-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-s-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/busan-s-buk-a-by-election-shows-close-race-between-former-presidential-aide-ex.jsonld"}}