Ha Jung-woo, former senior secretary for AI future planning at the presidential office, registered on the 6th as a preliminary candidate in the Busan Buk-gu Gap National Assembly by-election.
On the afternoon of the day, candidate Ha held a joint press conference with Chun Jae-soo, Democratic Party of Korea Busan mayoral candidate, at the Busan Metropolitan Council in Yeonje-gu, Busan. At the briefing, Ha announced the goal of "an AI transition starting in Buk-gu, turning Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang back into Korea's growth engine."
Ha stressed that AI is not only a grand future technology but also a practical tool that can solve problems in Buk-gu. He then set out a goal to make Buk-gu Korea's No. 1 hub for AI education and, through an AI-driven industrial transformation of Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang, to make Korea one of the world's top three AI powers.
Ha said, "China has already surpassed the United States by rapidly integrating AI into its traditional industries, including manufacturing and logistics, robots and electric vehicles, and shipbuilding and ports," adding, "We must equip the industries of Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang with AI to once again make them Korea's future growth engine."
He added, "Ports need AI logistics optimization and digital transformation; shipbuilding needs AI design and smart production; automobiles and precision manufacturing need AI-based quality control and process innovation; and defense and aerospace need AI-based advancement strategies."
Ha said, "What matters in that process is not people being pushed out by AI, but building a new industrial ecosystem where people and AI work together," adding, "With an AI transition that starts in Buk-gu, we will change Busan, change Busan-Ulsan-South Gyeongsang, and open the path to making Korea one of the top three in AI."