The General Students’ Association (GSA) election has begun a full-fledged head-to-head confrontation between the two candidates. It is the first election with two candidates in six years. However, at the debate hosted by the Election Commission (EC), the two Election Campaign Headquarters (ECH) showed the appearance of a wasteful twisting of words rather than a specific and differentiated pledge, which caused voters’ disappointment.

At 7pm on November 21st, a joint debate between the two ECHs running for the 56th GSA election was held in the conference room on the third floor of the main administration building. The debaters were as follows: presidential candidate Lee Jang-Eun (Dept. of Political Science and Diplomacy, 19) and vice presidential candidate Han Seong-Ik (Dept. of Applied IT Engineering, 19), ECH No. 1, “Da-one,” and presidential candidate Lee Chang-Jun (Dept. of Geological Sciences, 22) and vice presidential candidate Seo Seung-Beom (Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences, 21), ECH No. 2, “PNew.” The debate, conducted by the EC composed of the current GSA, was broadcast live on the GSA SNS, but only about 15 viewers were watching.

Hosted by Kim Yo-Seop (Dept. of Korean Language and Literature, 20), the president of the GSA, the discussion was conducted in main sections with debates between the two candidates and questions and answers with the audience. A pledge argument was made between the two candidates for 81 minutes in the following order: keynote speech, standard questioning of the EC, mutual discussion of candidates, audience questioning, and closing remarks. Conversations were conducted to suggest the direction of student society on issues such as the integration of Busan National University of Education (BNUE), the election of Pusan National University (PNU) presidents, dual campus school buses, and shuttle buses, which are considered significant in the overall PNU campus.

At the debate, rather than an in-depth questioning of the pledges between the candidates, there was an incomplete and exhausting discussion. Da-one asked why PNew’s commitment to guarantee the right to learn only for the acknowledgement of attendance of the military reserve force. PNew asked why there was no pledge for the Yangsan campus school bus in Da-one’s “Miryang campus School Bus Pledge.” When asked by PNew whether there was no pledge for the Yangsan campus because Da-one’s vice presidential candidate belongs to the Miryang campus, the president of the GSA asked him to refrain from commenting on the candidate’s identification information. Before the debate, there was also an illogical debate in the PNU online anonymous community, “Everytime,” over whether the two candidates belonged to the Busan campus and whether they served in the military (reported by “Channel PNU” on November 17th, 2023).

It was not clearly revealed what the difference in overall pledges between the two candidates was. Both sides presented similar directions, focusing on “reflecting student opinions” in their keynote speeches, which show ECH’s beliefs and principles. There was no significant difference between the two candidates’ answers to the common question of tasks to be implemented in the integration process with BNUE. Da-one said they would converse with the school by accepting objections about several tasks included in the Glocal University 30 Project. PNew also responded that communication between PNU and BNUE is important and that the priority is to inform students about the Glocal University 30 Project.

During the audience questioning session which followed, students were able to resolve some of the questions about the pledges of the two candidates. Asked by the audience about the “justification and method for the mandatory disclosure of detailed grades” and the “connection with the university press”, Da-one said, “It is for the students’ right to know so that students can objectively judge the GSA. We will devise a solution through cooperation between the Federation of University Student Unions and the Ministry of Education.”

Questions about PNew mainly focused on improving the university’s environment. Asked about specific plans such as how to resolve inconveniences in shuttle buses during school time, PNew said they would use the money paid by local governments to compensate for student damage caused by the Geumsaem-ro (Sanseong Tunnel access road) across PNU. Regarding the specific proposal of the Dormitory Environment Remodeling Project pledge, PNew replied, “We will collect opinions from PNU students using the dormitory and request cooperation from higher-level organizations.”

The two ECHs concluded the debate by expressing their aspirations. Da-one said, “When we all come together, empathy can be gained. We will strive for the GSA that creates the future of PNU by reflecting the students’ thoughts and opinions.” PNew said, “We feel an unrelenting passion for the contribution to the student community. We will make campus life convenient by listening to the various voices of students.”

Meanwhile, the election day is from November 28th to 30th, and any PNU student can participate in voting online from 9am to 7pm every day on the GSA election system website.

Reporter Choi Yun-Hui

Translated by Kim Tae-Yi