Dae-gu Mayor Race: Joo Ho-young’s Call for Fair Primaries Amidst Political Turmoil

Joo Ho-young, a People Power Party lawmaker who announced his bid for Daegu mayor in the June 3 local elections, said on the 20th that he will be watching to ensure Party Chair Jang Dong-hyuk keeps his promise of a fair primary. \”If that promise falters and the primary is compromised, I will not stand idly by,\” he warned. He appears to have postponed a planned announcement about a major decision regarding his political future.

At a news conference at the Daegu city party office, Joo said the nomination for Daegu mayor is not something a handful of people can decide. \”The decision-making power belongs solely to the citizens of Daegu,\” he said.

He said he had intended to announce a major decision about his future tied to the primary, but that morning Party Chair Jang issued a clear statement on the local primaries. Jang said the goal of nominations is victory, but the process must be fair, and as party chair he pledged to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure a fair primary that everyone can accept.

Joo said he would postpone his announcement and instead restate his views on the Daegu mayoral primary. He noted that since local autonomy began in 1995, Daegu has held eight mayoral contests over 30 years and has consistently conducted fair primaries.

While there have been strategic nominations for legislative seats over the past three decades, he said, there has never been an attempt to manipulate the Daegu mayoral nomination. \”This election must proceed with a fair, bottom-up primary. That is not optional—it’s essential and a matter of principle,\” he said.

He warned that as Daegu—the party’s traditional stronghold—is rocked by nomination infighting, speculation that former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum of the Democratic Party may run for mayor is gaining traction. \”Look at the polls showing the People Power Party and the Democratic Party swapping support,\” he urged. \”Losing Daegu would mean losing the conservative movement’s entire base and its roots.\”

Joo argued that since the Lee Jae-myung administration took office, conservative values face an urgent test. In a political landscape dominated by the ruling party, Daegu remains the conservatives’ last bulwark. He emphasized that the strength to defend that bastion will not come from outside but from Daegu citizens’ sense of sovereignty, pride, and unity among party members and supporters.

He also warned that when central political actors try to carve up Daegu according to their own calculations, citizens must be able to say \”No.\” He urged rejection of top-down parachute nominations and so-called strategic nominations that are only cosmetic, and called on the party to uphold the democratic principle of letting citizens choose their candidate directly from the start.