Former President Lee Myung-bak visited Busan to support People Power Party Busan mayoral candidate Park Heong-joon. With three days left until the June 3 local elections' main vote, the visit aimed to rally conservative voters at the last minute.
That morning, the former president attended a service at Sooyoungro Church in Haeundae District, Busan. Afterward, he ate dwaeji gukbap on Gunam-ro in Haeundae and met citizens at Gunam-ro Square. After greeting citizens, the former president took the microphone in front of the campaign truck and continued his remarks.
The former president said, "This is the first time I have taken the microphone in this June 3 election," adding, "I have run in several elections myself, but I came with particular affection for the Busan mayoral race."
He continued, "I, too, was from the opposition when I was Seoul mayor, but Seoul developed because its citizens elected a mayor who works," adding, "Politics should not be about words; only by electing a mayor who truly works can Busan develop."
The former president also said, "If Mayor Park Heong-joon serves four more years, Busan's population will grow, young people will gather, and tourists will flock," adding, "It is not about who the president or the Minister is; who becomes Busan's mayor has a major impact on the city's development."
Park is regarded as a leading figure in the pro-Lee Myung-bak camp. When Lee won the 17th presidential election, Park served as a Commissioner on the Presidential Transition Committee. He later served in the Presidential Secretariat as senior public relations planning officer, senior political affairs secretary, and special adviser on social affairs.
Democratic Party of Korea candidate Chun Jae-soo's election committee moved to counter the former president's visit to Busan. It criticized the former president as "the forces that dragged down Busan's standing."
Chun's campaign said, "The Lee Myung-bak administration's abolition of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries was the decisive event that pushed Busan to the periphery," adding, "By dragging the former president into the race, Park is seeking votes by bringing back the very person responsible for Busan's decline."