Joo Ho-young’s Bold Challenge: Can Conservative Unity Save the Daegu Mayoral Race?

[iNews24 Reporter Lee Chang-jae] Deputy Speaker Joo Ho-young sharply criticized party leadership and the primary process after being excluded from the Daegu mayoral nomination, and he outlined his stance on the appeal and his future plans. Warning that “if this continues, we will lose,” he publicly called for conservative unity, triggering a major backlash.

On April 9, Deputy Speaker Joo appeared on SBS’s News Briefing and said, “I will decide my final course after seeing the appeals court’s ruling,” adding, “The primary process is still underway, so I expect the court to issue a prompt decision.”

He said, “I filed the appeal on the 6th, the case was assigned on the 8th, and I submitted the appeal brief on the 9th,” and added, “The appeals court can decide based on the record alone, so a quick ruling is possible.” The case is currently under review at the Seoul High Court.

On the question of running as an independent, he said his advisers are divided and he is taking a cautious approach.

He explained that some counsel him to remain in the party and help manage the aftermath after the election, while others argue the current primary system leaves no path to victory and that he should run independently.

Criticizing the current primary lineup, Joo said, “Even if one of the six becomes the nominee, widening gaps in polling leave us with no answer,” and he stressed, “We need conservative consolidation before the final vote.”

He singled out former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum as “a figure with demonstrated vote-getting ability and experience as a minister and prime minister,” adding, “Under the current circumstances, Kim’s camp must be quietly pleased.”

Joo warned, “This is no longer a ‘give them another chance’ situation in Daegu — the same pattern has been repeated many times. If we don’t change this structure now, it will repeat again in the general election.”

He also renewed his criticism of Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk.

“Even as support collapses, the only refrain is ‘let’s unite,’” he said, sharply criticizing the response as “like steering toward a cliff or ordering people to stay on a sinking ship.” He urged that the leadership should form an emergency committee or recruit an innovative campaign chair and then step down.

Joo characterized the crisis as structural rather than personal.

“Factional fights recur every time nominations are decided,” he said, “and we are seeking a court ruling to establish a fair and democratic nomination system.”

On the possibility that former Chair Lee Jin-sook might run as an independent, he reiterated the need for unity, saying, “We must prevent a split that would hand an advantage to the Democratic Party.”

Joo warned, “Some supporters may be so disillusioned that they stay home on election day, and that is the biggest variable.”

Deputy Speaker Joo’s remarks can be read as a political pressure play that ties the appeals outcome to calls for conservative unity and demands for leadership change.

The Daegu mayoral race is rapidly reshaping into a complex contest driven by the court’s decision, internal party power shifts, and whether the conservative camp can regroup.