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Choo Kyung-ho, the People Power Party’s candidate for mayor of Daegu, opened his campaign office at the Beomeo Intersection in Suseong-gu on May 3, drawing roughly 7,000 people and formally launching his campaign.
Despite heavy rain, the party leadership turned out in force to help consolidate conservative support.
Among those attending were party leader Jang Dong-hyuk, North Gyeongsang Province gubernatorial candidate Lee Cheol-woo, honorary campaign chair Kim Moon-soo, fundraising chair Moon Hee-gap, and about 50 current and former National Assembly members. They emphasized “Daegu’s economic resurgence” and “conservative unity.”
Former President Lee Myung-bak, in a recorded message, said, “Daegu needs an economic mayor, not a political one,” and called Choo the right person for the job.
Kim Moon-soo, Moon Hee-gap, Lee Cheol-woo, and Lee In-seon, chair of the Daegu city party, also urged an economic recovery and a united conservative front.
Former floor leader Na Kyung-won said, “We must win this election to block the Lee Jae-myung administration’s slide toward authoritarianism,” and added, “Many people say Choo’s wife looks like me. Choo’s wife is my sister. I will treat Choo as my brother-in-law and campaign to secure his victory.”
Jang apologized for the conflicts that arose during the candidate nomination process and called on conservatives to come together.
“As party leader, I apologize for the emotional hurt and concern caused to Daegu citizens during the nomination process,” he said, taking responsibility.
He also apologized to National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joo Ho-young for any hurt caused and urged him to lend his support to Daegu once more out of his affection for the city. Regarding candidate Lee Jin-sook, Jang thanked her for accepting the party’s decision and for making the difficult choice to devote herself to Daegu. Deputy Speaker Joo did not attend the opening ceremony.
Jang questioned whether Kim Boo-kyum—who received a one-year prison sentence with a two-year suspended term for violating the National Security Law—should be allowed to establish a political foothold in Daegu, the conservative heartland.
Floor leader Song Eon-seok highlighted Choo’s economic credentials, asking, “Who will take responsibility for and revive our struggling economy?”
“Choo has worked on economic policy for more than 30 years and will help grow Daegu,” Song said. “We need a mayor who understands the economy.”
Choo pledged a comprehensive overhaul of Daegu’s economy to attract capital and people, outlining four main pledges: develop Daegu as a hub for advanced industries such as AI, robotics, future mobility, biotech, and semiconductors; launch a youth reshoring initiative; establish a 1 trillion KRW startup growth fund (750 million USD); and create a mayoral investment-attraction unit to bring in major corporations.
He also criticized the Democratic Party’s push for a “special prosecutor bill on fabricated indictments,” arguing that a balanced distribution of power is what protects democracy.
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