On the 19th, Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae promised at the National Assembly level to support the Daegu–North Gyeongsang (TK) new airport project, a long-awaited project in the Daegu area, and President Lee Jae-myung's pledge to build an "artificial intelligence (AI) robot capital."
On this day, Jung held an on-site Supreme Council meeting at the Daegu City Party office and declared a "Daegu recovery," saying, "We will revive Daegu first. We will restore Daegu first. We will turn back Daegu's lost time. The Democratic Party will be a partner in Daegu's development." This was the first time since taking office that he visited Daegu, a representative tough district for the liberal camp, to tend to public sentiment.
Jung particularly promised to work to support the "TK new airport project." He said, "The Daegu–North Gyeongsang new airport project is one that local residents have high expectations for, but it has drifted for a long period of 10 years. What must be prioritized for Daegu's transformation is the expansion of transportation infrastructure," adding, "As President Lee Jae-myung has expressed a willingness to review it positively, the Democratic Party will also do its utmost to resolve the tasks." He continued, "We will also actively review reflecting the 279.5 billion won in funds requested by Daegu City and reflecting 8.7 billion won for 2026 financial reform."
Earlier, the president held a town hall meeting in Daegu on the last month and said, "The construction cost of the Daegu–North Gyeongsang new airport is a matter of policy determination and fiscal capacity," adding, "We cannot rashly promise state funding, but we will closely examine the scale, necessity, and the resulting benefits," expressing an intention to review state funding. The construction of the TK new airport, the region's biggest pending issue, has so far shown differences with the government over how to procure financing and whether to provide state funds.
Jung also promised backing at the ruling party level for the president's Daegu-area campaign pledge to "build Korea's AI robot capital." He said, "(The president) said he would build Korea's AI robot capital, support Daegu AI robot corporations in going global, and foster deep-tech and unicorn corporations, and accordingly (the government) has exempted the preliminary feasibility study," adding, "As this is a new growth engine for Daegu's development, the party will support this as well. We will also pay close attention to the planned robot test build in Dalseong County."
He also said he would positively review the construction of a Daegu independence history museum. Jung emphasized, "Daegu is the city that most fiercely resisted injustice in our history. At every pivotal moment of the independence movement—righteous army activities, the National Debt Repayment Movement, the March 1 independence movement, and support for the Provisional Government—it was another sacred site of democratization that opened the future of the Republic of Korea."
He continued, "If, as the Daegu City Party wishes, we actively foster history and culture content industries such as building an independence history museum, Daegu's identity will become more solid, and we will once again drive the progressive energy that leads our history," pledging, "We will actively review this at the party level."
After finishing the on-site Supreme Council meeting, Jung plans to visit Alpha City in Suseong District, a software and artificial intelligence (AI) cluster, to conduct an on-site inspection of the business sites and hold a meeting with officials from resident corporations.