After loss to Han Dong-hoon, Ha Jung-woo returns to Gupo Market

Ha Jung-woo, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate who lost the June 3 National Assembly by-election in Busan's Buk-gu A district to independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon, has shared what he has been doing since his defeat.

Ha, a former presidential AI and future planning secretary at Cheong Wa Dae, wrote on his social media account Thursday that his steps "naturally lead back to Gupo Market," where he walks slowly among the sounds of shops opening in the morning, steam rising from noodle pots and merchants calling out to customers.

"I hear hands reaching out to say, 'I'm sorry it didn't work out this time — but keep going,' and residents quietly raising everyday concerns they couldn't fully express with a vote," he wrote. "I am learning that feelings which couldn't be captured at the ballot box still linger in these alleyways."

He added that he goes out each day with a notebook in hand "to meet the residents who always welcome me as a son of Buk-gu."

Ha ran a tight race against Han in the by-election but fell short by 1,392 votes. Han received 35,056 votes (42.96 percent) to Ha's 33,664 (41.26 percent).

After his defeat was confirmed, Ha said he remained convinced that the initiatives he had championed during the campaign — an "AI education hub" and a "West Busan AI theme valley" — represented the inevitable direction for Buk-gu. "As someone who loves my hometown of Buk-gu, I will not forget my commitment to never stop working for its development," he said.

At a campaign dissolution ceremony, Ha spoke openly about a history of setbacks. "I failed the science high school entrance exam in ninth grade, had to retake the college entrance exam to get into Seoul National University, and took nine years to finish graduate school — when most people take five or six," he said. "Many people think I followed an elite path, but I have failed a great many times."

"I am not discouraged by losing this election," he said. "I got here by using each failure as fuel to leap forward, again and again. I will do my best from wherever I stand to develop my hometown of Buk-gu alongside all of you."

Meanwhile, Ha is set to deliver a lecture Monday at a special forum hosted by the transition committee of Jeju Governor-elect Wi Seong-gon, themed "The Great AX Transformation: Talking About Jeju's Tomorrow."

He said region-led growth is "a core national policy direction for overcoming the current limits on growth caused by the Greater Seoul-centered, single-hub system," and that "a successful AI transformation by local governments and industries is essential to realizing region-led growth."

"I received a lecture invitation from Jeju," he said. "I am personally taking time to recharge, but I accepted because the AI transformation of local governments is too important a topic for national development to pass up."

희비 엇갈린 청와대 참모출신…절반의 성공

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10763178