National Assembly Vice Speaker Joo Ho-young (a People Power Party lawmaker), who declared a run for Daegu mayor, said, "If we do not change the rules of the game now, the provinces will head toward extinction," adding, "With the determination to create new rules of the game, I decided to run for Daegu mayor."
On the 27th in the afternoon, at the vice speaker's office in the National Assembly, Vice Speaker Joo held a press briefing and said, "Daegu's population is decreasing by 10,000 every year, and more than half of the 20,000 local university graduates leave for the Seoul metropolitan area for jobs, a structure that has become entrenched," adding, "For 30 years we have called for attracting corporations, but the gap between the capital region and the provinces has instead widened, and North Gyeongsang is in such a serious situation that 4 of the nation's top 10 extinction-risk cities are included."
He went on, "This is not a matter of the incompetence of metropolitan governors but of structural limits," adding, "Through National Assembly legislation and consultations with the central government, I will focus on easing concentration in the capital region and creating new rules of the game that allow the provinces to truly sustain themselves. Unless fiscal, regulatory and permitting authority is substantively devolved to the provinces, not merely securing a bit more budget here and there, we cannot prevent the provinces from disappearing."
As Daegu's core pending issues, he cited the transfer of the K-2 fighter wing and the redeployment of military units. He said, "Relocating the Air Force base requires more than 20 trillion won, which is impossible with only local government resources. The state must step in," adding, "Through the Special Act on the Integrated New Airport Transfer, I will create a structure in which national funds are injected. I will take responsibility and resolve this issue."
Regarding administrative integration of Daegu and North Gyeongsang, he said, "Since 2019, a consensus has formed that unless we integrate, it will be difficult for both sides to hold out. In a situation where other regions are securing large-scale national projects through integration, if only Daegu and North Gyeongsang are left out, who will take responsibility?" adding, "We should integrate first, and for areas that are disadvantaged by integration, we must compensate and move forward. If we wait for integration in which no one loses, we will accomplish nothing."