Democratic Party of Korea candidate Ha Jung-woo, left, campaigns at the Gupo Bridge intersection in Busan, Tuesday, while independent candidate Han Dong-hoon speaks at a press conference at his campaign office in Buk-gu District in Busan, Monday. Yonhap

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. 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 repeated calls by the party's leadership, which sought to recruit professionals and technocrats to run in the elections.

Before joining the presidential office, Ha led the development of HyperCLOVA X, Naver’s large language AI model. Throughout the campaign, the former tech expert argued that Busan should position itself at the forefront of Korea’s AI-driven economy.

Han was a former PPP leader, but often clashed with hard-line, far-right members of the party, especially after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law fiasco in December 2024. Following disputes, the party's current leadership expelled him in January over allegations that his family members criticized Yoon on an internal party bulletin board.

If Han, who has labeled himself as a "reasonable conservative" figure, wins the election, it will deal a serious blow to the PPP leadership. Ha had led opinion polls at the beginning of the race, but the latest polls showed Han had pulled ahead.

Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted by JTBC showed Han with 48.1 percent support, comfortably ahead of Ha, who received 37.6 percent.

Source: Korea Times News