Park Wan-su of the People Power Party defeated Kim Kyeong-soo of the Democratic Party of Korea in the June 3 local elections to win a second term as governor of South Gyeongsang. Exit polls by the three major broadcasters had predicted that Kim would lead, but the actual count showed Park winning by 2.57 percentage points. In a race that drew attention as a showdown between a former and an incumbent South Gyeongsang governor, Park held his seat after a neck-and-neck battle to the end.
Park won 51.28% (897,975 votes) to finish first. Kim won 48.71% (852,911 votes). On election day, the three broadcasters' exit polls projected Kim would lead Park by 8.6 percentage points, but the final result was the opposite.
Park was born in 1955 in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang, the youngest of two sons and three daughters. Because of a difficult family situation, continuing his studies was not easy, and it is known that even finishing elementary school was hard. With help from relatives, he attended middle school, graduated from Masan Technical High School, and then joined Korea Dongkyung Electronics in the Masan Free Trade Zone as a production worker.
He later balanced work and studies. He entered the administrative studies department at Korea National Open University, passed the transfer qualification exam, and transferred to the administrative studies department at Kyungnam University. He later earned his master's and doctoral degrees in public administration from the graduate school at Kyungnam University.
His public service career began when he passed the higher civil service exam. After passing the 23rd exam in 1979, Park entered public service in 1981 as an administrative officer at the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government. He went on to serve as legal affairs officer, head of the regional economy division, Director for Audit and Inspection, head of the agricultural policy bureau, and head of the economy and trade bureau, and in 2000 he became deputy mayor of Gimhae.
He entered politics by winning a by-election for mayor of Changwon in 2004. He was re-elected mayor in 2006, and in 2010 he became the first mayor of the integrated Changwon City, which combined Changwon, Masan, and Jinhae. He is credited with building a political base in the region while leading Changwon's city administration for about 10 years.
In 2014, he ran in the primary for South Gyeongsang governor but fell short. He later served as the sixth president of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) under the Park Geun-hye administration, and in the 2016 general election he won a National Assembly seat representing Uichang District in Changwon.
He won the South Gyeongsang governor's race in 2022 on his third attempt. In this local election, he ran again and secured a second term after a tight race against Kim. Immediately after his victory was confirmed, Park returned to work, held a meeting with senior provincial officials, and reviewed key provincial governance issues.