![](\"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/image\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0263\/image-4cb9198a-7820-411d-96cf-8336134d3546.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nTranslation result<\/p>\n
On the 11th, Kim Bu-gyeom, the Democratic Party\u2019s candidate for Daegu mayor, again urged full party backing for his platform, asking, \u201cIf the Democratic Party only takes votes and then washes its hands, will the people of Daegu forgive us?\u201d He said that if People Power Party lawmakers and a Democratic mayor work together, they can overcome most central government obstacles and present South Korea\u2019s first notable example of effective cooperative governance.<\/p>\n
That evening at his campaign office in Dalseo District, Daegu, Kim held a press briefing and said Han Byung-do, the Democratic Party\u2019s floor leader, has pledged to form a legislative support task force (TF) to advance long-standing local projects.<\/p>\n
He said he will press the floor leader to follow through on the leadership\u2019s promises, adding, \u201cUnless someone plans to quit politics in Daegu, those who want to grow the party must keep their promises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kim noted that many central government ministers who will decide major policies affecting Daegu are juniors he has mentored. He said he intends to confront them directly, telling them Daegu has no way forward unless they act, and to push them to deliver \u2014 a pressure he hopes will spark a clear revival for the city.<\/p>\n
Responding to Choo Kyung-ho\u2019s demand that he state his position on the so\u2011called \u201cfabricated-indictment special prosecutor bill,\u201d Kim retorted, \u201cIf the Daegu mayor gets dragged into a political fight and confronts the president or the ruling party, who will take responsibility for Daegu\u2019s future?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that at the last candidate nomination meeting he urged contenders not to withdraw unless they truly intended to fight in this difficult race, and he noted that, in the end, the party stepped back.<\/p>\n
On the question of converting the Daegu\u2013Gyeongbuk New Airport into a national project, Kim pointed out that the decision was made as a donation-to-transfer arrangement when he served as deputy prime minister for the economy, and he asked sharply whether Choo\u2019s position has changed since then.<\/p>\n
Answering critics who asked what he had done for Daegu as prime minister, Kim said, \u201cDuring my time as prime minister, Daegu\u2019s central government funding grew at an average rate of more than 10%.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cI\u2019m sorry to say this, but the opposing candidate, Choo Kyung-ho, oversaw only 1\u20132% growth when he was deputy prime minister.\u201d Kim accused Choo of miscalculating revenue estimates, which led to cuts in transfers to local governments and provoked strong backlash from municipal authorities.<\/p>\n
On his recent pledge to build Daegu Metro Line 4 (the EXCO Line) as a monorail rather than the existing AGT (automated guideway transit) system, Kim warned that AGT cannot reach EXCO and the logistics complex. He said the four-lane road from Daegu Technical High School to the back gate of Kyungpook National University would require decking for an AGT, and nearby residents would likely block such construction.<\/p>\n
He added that, in the long term, a monorail would be compatible with Line 3 and that the sunk costs \u2014 roughly 20\u201330 billion KRW (about 15\u201322.5 million USD) \u2014 are absorbable. For that reason, and because public acceptance is higher, he concluded the city must pursue the monorail option.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Daegu mayor, emphasizes the need for full support of his promises to earn citizens’ forgiveness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0263\/thumb-7aefcb8e-9e01-48f1-bf93-a8fd2b4a6171.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278093],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n