[Herald Economy (Daegu) — Reporter Kim Byung-jin] Rep. Yoon Jae-ok, a four-term member of the People Power Party representing Daegu Dalseo-eul and a candidate in the Daegu mayoral primary, visited the National Water Industry Cluster tenants’ council and held an on-site meeting on the 9th.
At the meeting, representatives from the tenants’ council laid out the practical challenges companies are facing and identified key priorities to advance Daegu’s water industry.
Attending firms proposed a range of policies, including designation as a special development zone and a tax-restricted special district; attracting second-tier public institutions linked to the water sector, such as the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute and the Korea Environment Corporation; early operation of the Daegu Industrial Line to improve commuting and freight transport; and establishment of an ultrapure water platform center.
Rep. Yoon said he would review the issues carefully because they reflect urgent, on-the-ground needs, and pledged to incorporate them into policy. He added that he would take full responsibility to ensure the proposals result in concrete institutional reforms and tangible support rather than remaining mere recommendations.
Since its establishment, tenant companies at the National Water Industry Cluster have recorded total sales of 6.4476 trillion KRW (about $4.84 billion) through 2024, solidifying the cluster’s role as a genuine engine of economic growth for Daegu.
The project has a deep connection to Rep. Yoon.
According to Yoon’s office, the initiative nearly collapsed in 2018 amid controversy over alleged regional favoritism known as the “TK” controversy, but Yoon—then the main opposition party’s chief deputy floor leader—led cross-party negotiations that produced a breakthrough.
He played a decisive role in getting the project back on track by linking the ruling party’s water-management unification bill with the Water Technology Industry Act he had sponsored and guiding the measures through the legislature.
He did not stop there. Immediately after the 21st National Assembly convened, Yoon made an amendment to the Water Industry Promotion Act his first bill and saw it passed, demonstrating meticulous follow-through from initial legislation to post-enactment improvements. This meeting was part of that ongoing effort to gather field-level concerns and refine policy.
“The National Water Industry Cluster has been essentially ‘Yoon Jae-ok’s brand’ since its inception,” Yoon said. “To cultivate the industries that will sustain Daegu for the next 100 years, I will build a comprehensive support system — from attracting companies and securing talent to improving living and working conditions.”
He added, “The National Water Industry Cluster is more than an industrial park; it is a strategic hub that can position Daegu as the center of South Korea’s water industry. I will work to ensure Daegu becomes the undisputed leader in the water sector.”
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