A member of the conservative People Power Party, Suh was elected the Mayor of Busan on 4 June 2014, defeating the independent candidate Oh Keo-don.

Suh Byung-soo was born in 1952, in the town of Daun, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang (now Daun-dong, Central District, Ulsan),[1] to the son of Suh Seok-in (died in 2020), the founder of Woojin Service who had served as the Member of the Busan Metropolican Council from 1991 to 1995 and the Mayor of Haeundae from 1995 to 1998.

[14] He promised to attract both foreign and private capitals and make the district as a logistic hub for information and tourism.

[15] He resigned on 7 February 2002 in order to run for the MP for Haeundae-Gijang 1st constituency at the by-election called due to the death of Sohn Tae-in.

[18] In the 2012 election, Suh contested under the Saenuri banner and defeated the DFP-UFP unity candidate, Goh Chang-kwon, with a majority of 18,705 votes.

[19] He was a potential candidate for the Saenuri parliamentary leader, but some media suggested he could be "nominated" the position under the interim President Park Geun-hye.

[4] On 26 February 2014, Suh officially launched his bid for Busan mayorship at Daehang Saebaji Harbour, Gadeok Island.

[33] On 21 June 2016, the Government of Park Geun-hye had brought a decision in which they would expand the incumbent Gimhae Airport, instead of replacing it in either Gadeok Island or Miryang, recommended by the ADP Ingénierie.

[38][39] There were earlier prognoses that Suh would stand down for taking responsibilities;[40] in fact, a day before the governmental determination, he ensured "no alternatives except at Gadeok Island".

[42][43] On 16 August 2017, Lotte Corporation had donated 100 billion won (≒ 100 million US$) to Busan for the Opera House development at North Port.

[46] On 21 September, the Busan City Government announced perhaps they would purchase 100 billion won to build a landmark, which is the Statue of Liberty, as a part of the North Harbour Redevelopment.

[50] Prior to the 2018 local elections, the Liberty Korea Party (LKP) was agonising over preselection for Busan mayorship.

[53] On 3 April, the Democratic Party confirmed they would nominate Oh Keo-don, who had unsuccessfully stood 4 years ago, as its candidate.

[61] Shortly after his comeback to the National Assembly, Oh Keo-don resigned as the Mayor of Busan on 23 April following the allegations of sexual harassment has provoked the by-election in 2021.