How Will Choo Kyung-ho Transform Daegu’s Economy? Insights from the 2026 Mayoral Candidate

Translation result

Why is Kim Bu-gyeom in Daegu’s conservative heartland? (Jang Dong-hyuk)

Why is Daegu \”Daegu\”? Because it once saved the country and can do so again (Choo Kyung-ho)

On the drizzly afternoon of the 3rd, the area in front of a building at Beomeo Intersection in Suseong District, Daegu, filled early. Crowds had gathered for the opening rally of Choo Kyung-ho, the People Power Party’s candidate for mayor of Daegu. The event underscored why Daegu regards itself as the heart of conservatism.

About 7,700 conservative supporters, including passersby, repeatedly chanted the names Jang Dong-hyuk and Choo Kyung-ho. That turnout far exceeded the roughly 5,000 people who attended the Democratic Party’s Kim Bu-gyeom opening on the 26th of last month.

The roster of attendees reinforced the event’s significance. Alongside Jang Dong-hyuk and Floor Leader Song Eon-seok were former Employment and Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo, who serves as honorary campaign chair for Choo, and former Daegu Mayor Moon Hee-gap. Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo and senior party figures Shin Dong-wook, Kim Jae-won, Cho Kwang-han, and Woo Jae-jun were present, as were central party officials Kim Eun-hye and Yoo Sang-beom.

Local lawmakers from Daegu — including Yoon Jae-ok, Lee In-seon, Kim Sang-hoon, Kang Dae-sik, Kwon Young-jin, Kim Seung-soo, Kim Ki-woong, Yoo Young-ha, and Choi Eun-seok — were joined by North Gyeongsang representatives such as Kim Seok-ki, Kim Jung-jae, Lim E-ja, Kim Hyung-dong, Park Hyung-soo, Kang Myung-gu, Koo Ja-geun, and Lim Jong-deuk. Five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won attended, along with Park Soo-min, Sung Il-jong, Cho Seung-hwan, Jeong Jeom-sik, Lee Jong-wook, Park Dae-chul, Kim So-hee, Kim Jang-gyeom, and Park Joon-tae. Also present was Lee Jin-sook, the recently nominated by-election candidate for Dalseong County and former chair of the Korea Communications Commission.

Former President Lee Myung-bak opened the program in a pre-recorded video. He praised Choo’s role during the global financial turmoil: when many feared the Korean economy would collapse, Choo — then the Blue House economic and financial secretary and head of the emergency economic taskforce — helped steer Korea to positive growth while the global economy contracted around 3.5 percent. Lee argued Daegu needs an economic mayor rather than a political one, and endorsed Choo as the right candidate.

Former minister and one-time presidential hopeful Kim Moon-soo followed. He warned against allowing the Democratic Party to gain control in Daegu, saying recent trends of legislative overreach and punitive measures against judges and prosecutors have no precedent. If the People Power Party collapses in Daegu, he said, it could pave the way for one-party rule — akin to North Korea’s Workers’ Party or the Chinese Communist Party. \”Do we want one-party rule in Korea? Unite and win,\” he urged, invoking the words of President Rhee.

Amid chants of Jang Dong-hyuk, Jang took the stage and first addressed Deputy Speaker Joo Ho-young. As party leader, he apologized for any hurt he had caused and asked for forgiveness. He appealed to Daegu’s voters to rally behind the party with the same love for the city and conservatism that he has always shown.

Jang then shifted tone and criticized Kim Bu-gyeom. \”I checked Kim Bu-gyeom’s criminal record yesterday,\” he said, referencing a one-year prison sentence with a two-year suspension for violating the National Security Law. He questioned whether someone with that record should take root in Daegu, the conservative heartland. He also accused Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party of misleading voters over the Daegu‑Gyeongbuk integration special law and urged people to remember that.

\”Last winter we resisted the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party’s crackdown on the opposition,\” Jang added. \”We chanted ‘We are Choo Kyung-ho’ and defended him. Now Choo is running to protect South Korea, liberal democracy, and Daegu, the conservative heart. An economic-minded Choo Kyung-ho will change Daegu.\”

Floor Leader Song Eon-seok appealed directly to voters, saying this local election should choose someone who will get things done. \”Choo has worked on economic policy for more than 30 years,\” Song said. \”Daegu needs a mayor who understands the economy. I ask Daegu citizens to reject the Democratic Party and restore normal politics.\”

Choo closed by thanking the crowd and promising to channel their energy into the city’s future. \”I will devote everything to Daegu’s development,\” he said. \”I will overhaul Daegu’s economy so the city attracts money and people.\”

Targeting the Democratic Party’s push for a special prosecutor bill on alleged fabricated indictments, Choo warned that unchecked power cannot produce a healthy democracy and urged Daegu to hold the center. \”Why is Daegu ‘Daegu’? Because it saved the Republic of Korea; Daegu must protect that freedom,\” he said.

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