Politics · South Korea · 1 hr ago
Busan lawmaker protests city’s cancellation of planned Pompidou Center branch
Lawmaker Park Soo-young protested outside Busan City Hall on Oct.
19 against the city’s decision to cancel a planned branch of the Pompidou Center.
The art museum branch was planned for Igidae in Busan’s Nam-gu district, which Park represents.
Busan has dropped the construction plan, though Park said the city should have reviewed the project’s conditions before stopping it.
He argued that the project could have improved residents’ quality of life and the city’s competitiveness.
Civic group members staged a counter-protest at the same location, calling for Park’s resignation and raising their voices with his supporters.
Police surrounded Park as the two groups gathered.
Park called on the city to reconsider the decision and said the mayor should present an alternative, but no next steps were stated.
South Korean lawmaker Park Soo-young protested outside Busan City Hall on October 19 against the city’s cancellation of plans for a Pompidou Center branch.
The branch had been planned for Igidae in Nam-gu, Park’s constituency.
Park said the city had given up an opportunity to improve residents’ quality of life and the city’s competitiveness.
He criticized the city for ending the project without reviewing ways to improve its terms.
Civic and social group members held a counter-protest at the same location, and police surrounded Park as tensions rose.
- Who
- Park Soo-young, a People Power Party lawmaker representing Busan’s Nam-gu district, staged the protest. Civic and social group members also protested.
- What
- Park protested the cancellation of plans to build a Pompidou Center branch in Busan.
- When
- The protest took place on the morning of October 19, 2026, starting at 8 a.m.
- Where
- Outside Busan City Hall. The planned branch was to be built in Igidae, Nam-gu.
- Why
- Park said the city had abandoned an opportunity to improve residents’ quality of life and Busan’s competitiveness. The city’s reason for cancelling the project is not stated.
Park Soo-young
Civic and social group members
Project cancellation
Park Soo-young
Park opposed the city’s cancellation and called for an immediate review.
Civic and social group members
Members held a counter-protest; a related report listed by Yonhap said a Busan civic group welcomed the cancellation.
Protest demands
Park Soo-young
Park urged the city to reconsider the project.
Civic and social group members
Protesters called for Park to resign.
Park’s local office was the site of a dispute over demands for his position on the December 3 martial law, according to Yonhap’s account of charges against one protester.
Park began a one-person protest outside Busan City Hall against the cancellation of the planned branch.
Civic and social group members staged a counter-protest at the same location, and police surrounded Park amid a tense scene.
- Protester
- Park Soo-young
- Party and district
- People Power Party; Busan’s Nam-gu
- Protest location
- Outside Busan City Hall
- Start time
- October 19, 2026, at 8 a.m.
- Planned branch site
- Igidae, Nam-gu
- Counter-protesters
- More than 10 civic and social group members
1 source
What people are saying
The city itself gave up an opportunity to bring in world-class cultural content and improve Busan citizens’ quality of life and the city’s competitiveness.
The city’s policy review group gave the majority opinion that the project’s conditions should be re-examined, but the city stopped the project without reviewing improvements to the conditions.
It is the mayor’s authority to cancel Busan City’s policies, but it is also the mayor’s responsibility to present alternatives and achieve better results.