At a debate on the 13th, People Power Party preliminary candidates for Daegu mayor criticized Democratic Party of Korea Daegu mayoral candidate Kim Boo-kyum as "lacking sincerity" and each actively promoted themselves as the right person for the job.
The People Power Party held the second vision debate for the Daegu mayoral primary at 5:30 p.m. on the 13th. Six preliminary candidates — Yoo Young-ha, Yoon Jae-ok, Lee Jae-man, Choo Kyung-ho, Choi Eun-seok and Hong Seok-jun (in Korean alphabetical order) — took part in the debate. After wrapping up public vetting among the candidates through the second vision debate, the People Power Party will decide on the 17th the two candidates who will advance to the main primary after voting on the 15th-16th.
In response to a common question asking about strategies to differentiate themselves from Kim Boo-kyum, the candidates criticized Kim and each stressed that they were the right person to advance Daegu.
Candidate Yoo Young-ha said, "After losing the 2020 general election, Kim left Daegu and was living in a country house in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi," adding, "As far as I remember, until declaring his run for Daegu mayor, he never spoke up on any pending Daegu issue, whereas I returned to save my hometown of Daegu."
Candidate Yoon Jae-ok said, "No matter how you look at it, Kim is Moon Jae-in's man," adding, "No matter how he is packaged as the second Roh Moo-hyun, it's not about challenge and sacrifice but regression and greed. That is different from the sincerity of Yoon Jae-ok, who sacrifices only himself for Daegu and is obsessed with Daegu."
Candidate Hong Seok-jun said, "After losing the 2020 general election, Kim sold his house in Daegu and moved, but having a house (in Daegu) is extremely important. I think it is the basic expression of affection for the region," adding, "I have never abandoned my house in Daegu, and in Seoul I have only rented on jeonse and have never bought a house."
Candidate Lee Jae-man said, "Unlike Kim Boo-kyum, who comes to Daegu only when needed, I am a true Daegu person who has devoted my whole life to Daegu," adding, "I am a native administrative expert of Daegu who has actually carried out urban development and realized the local economy."
Candidate Choi Eun-seok said, "Kim only first looked at Daegu's economic indicators less than two months before the election. He is not prepared at all," adding, "I am a former large-company president who has been vetted by performance my whole life. I am a global management and economy expert with experience across diverse industries."
Candidate Choo Kyung-ho said, "Kim throws a tantrum and says he will bring in budgets, which is absurd. He does not know how budgets are made and lacks preparation, so it sounds like he will end up begging outside the door," adding, "The difference is clear between Kim, who will wander without preparation, and Choo Kyung-ho, an economic expert who has managed fiscal operations."
In the ensuing initiative debate, the candidates engaged in sharp vetting over the feasibility of each other's pledges.
Candidate Lee Jae-man, aiming at candidate Yoo Young-ha's pledge to attract a Samsung semiconductor plant, asked, "Have you separately discussed this pledge with Samsung Electronics?" Yoo replied, "A semiconductor fab is a national strategic industry, and distributed siting is a global trend," adding, "The Yongin national industrial complex has shortages of power and water, so a transfer to the southern region is necessary."
Candidate Yoo Young-ha, regarding candidate Lee Jae-man's pledge to attract "Sphere," pointed out, "This is a project even London gave up due to light pollution. Is it realistic in Daegu?" Lee replied, "For Sphere, the biggest issue of light pollution has been addressed with brightness control technology. It is now sufficiently remediable."
Candidate Yoo Young-ha, regarding candidate Yoon Jae-ok's pledge for "1,000-won housing, 1,000-won shops and 1,000-won offices," asked about the specificity of the supply scale, eligibility criteria and budget estimates. Yoon said, "Looking at Incheon's case, about 3.6 billion won is invested to supply 1,000 units a year," adding, "Daegu has lower rents, so around 3 billion won should suffice. We will support newlyweds, households with newborns and young adults without homes based on income criteria."