2026 Local Elections: Will Kim Boo-kyum’s Bid for Daegu Mayor Spark a Democratic Wave?

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In Daegu — long regarded as hostile territory for the Democratic Party — the field of candidates for local executive posts is taking shape roughly 70 days before the June 3 local elections.

With former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum’s bid for Daegu mayor all but confirmed, political observers and voters are watching whether the Democratic Party can capture any local executive offices in the city.

The Democratic Party’s Daegu chapter said on March 19 that seven city districts have a single Democratic applicant for district head, while Dalseong County has multiple applicants for its local-head nomination.

Oh Young-joon, deputy spokesperson for the party’s central committee, has filed to run for Jung District head. Shin Hyo-cheol, the former chair of the Dong-gu/Gunwi-gap regional committee, and Choi Kyu-sik, the former chair of the Seo District regional committee, are running for Dong and Seo district heads, respectively.

Former Nam District councilor Jeong Yeon-woo is running for Nam District head; North District councilor Choi Woo-young is running for North District head; and Park Jeong-gwon, a former policy aide to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, is running for Suseong District head.

Kim Sung-tae, a former Daegu city councilor, has declared his candidacy for Dalseo District head. Two candidates — Kim Bo-kyung, a former policy adviser to the Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy and Decentralization, and Lee Dae-gon, an adviser to Dalseong County’s regional committee — have filed for Dalseong County chief and are expected to proceed to a primary.

No one has yet declared a run for Gunwi County chief.

A Democratic Party official in Daegu said that if former Prime Minister Kim, who carries significant name recognition and political influence, runs for mayor it could strengthen the campaigns of local-head candidates. The official added that some district-head hopefuls are already showing signs of benefiting from a Democratic wave in media polls.