Former Presidential AI Secretary Ha Jung-woo Enters Busan By-Election Race

SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- A scheduled parliamentary by-election in the southeastern city of Busan is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races nationwide with a potential three-way contest emerging, as a former presidential secretary prepares to enter the race. Ha Jung-woo, former presidential secretary for artificial intelligence (AI) policy and future planning, declared his run Wednesday after stepping down from the post the previous day to seek a parliamentary seat in Busan's Buk-A constituency in the by-election to be held alongside the June 3 local elections. The Buk-A constituency is a traditional conservative stronghold and one of the few districts won by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) in the last general elections, making the race a key battleground for both the liberal and conservative camps. A three-way race, if realized, would likely be one of the key contests in the upcoming elections with Ha expected to run against independent Hang Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party (PPP), and PPP lawmaker Park Min-shik, former head of the veterans ministry. A recent survey showed Ha leading with 35.5 percent in a hypothetical three-way contest, followed by Han with 28.5 percent and Park trailing behind with 26 percent. The poll of 802 respondents was conducted on Friday and Saturday by polling agency Media Tomato and commissioned by online media outlet News Tomato. Talks over a potential merger between Han and Park have emerged within the conservative political circles following Ha's decision to join the race, though both Han and Park have largely rejected the calls for a unified bid. The PPP has criticized Ha's move, saying his resignation has created a vacuum in the presidential office, just 10 months after he assumed the inaugural post as part of the government's push to develop the country into one of the world's top three AI powerhouses. Meanwhile, Han has accused President Lee Jae Myung of political interference, claiming that the president had instructed Ha to join the race. "It would be problematic if Ha had lied by using the president as an excuse when he wanted to run in the election, but it would also be a problem if he had lied as if the president had not illegally instructed his candidacy," Han said in a Facebook post. The former AI secretary rejected allegations of any political interference, saying he was the one to persuade the president to approve his decision. "It cannot be election interference (by the president) since it (my decision to run) was not made at an instruction from the president and I rather had to persuade (the president)," Ha said. Declaring his bid on Wednesday, Ha vowed to build a better future and bring "bigger hopes" to Busan. "As the inaugural presidential secretary for AI policy and future planning, a position of great honor, I have fulfilled my duty of establishing the national AI strategy and will now move to Busan and to the National Assembly," Ha said in a Facebook post. Ha, 48, is a former IT expert with no experience in politics prior to serving as the presidential AI secretary. He previously headed the Future AI Center at South Korea's tech firm Naver.