People Power Party candidate wins Daegu mayoral race after late surge driven by Park Geun-hye's campaign appearances and conservative consolidation

People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho wears a congratulatory flower garland at his campaign office near Beomeo intersection in Daegu on Thursday morning after securing his election as Daegu mayor. [Yonhap]
People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho wears a congratulatory flower garland at his campaign office near Beomeo intersection in Daegu on Thursday morning after securing his election as Daegu mayor. [Yonhap]

People Power Party candidate Choo Kyung-ho won the Daegu mayoral race Thursday, defeating Democratic Party of Korea candidate Kim Boo-kyum to hold the conservative stronghold. Defying early polling that had shown him trailing, Choo consolidated the conservative base and preserved what many call the heartland of South Korean conservatism.

Choo secured 53.92 percent of the vote, according to the National Election Commission. Though the early count was tight, his margin widened steadily as ballots were tallied, and he ultimately claimed a clear victory.

Speaking at his campaign office Thursday, Choo said he had received both warm support and sharp criticism from voters. "I will do my utmost to improve the lives of citizens and revitalize the Daegu economy," he said.

He also extended an olive branch to his rival. "I think we competed in good faith without causing each other much discomfort," Choo said of Kim. "I hope to meet with him regularly going forward and benefit from his advice."

The Daegu mayoral race was a rare contest. Early polling consistently showed Kim ahead of Choo, and within the Democratic Party an expectation grew that the party could win the Daegu mayoral seat for the first time.

The People Power Party, meanwhile, showed signs of anxiety, and some observers raised the possibility that a candidate from outside the conservative camp could become Daegu mayor for the first time.

As election day approached, however, the mood shifted as conservative voters began to consolidate. Choo leaned on his background as a former deputy prime minister for economic affairs, positioning himself as the right person to lead Daegu's economic recovery.

Analysts say former President Park Geun-hye's late campaign appearances played a significant role in that consolidation. Park visited Chilseong Market in Daegu on May 23 to stump for Choo and joined him again on the campaign trail on May 31.

"I think the former president coming out personally at the end had some effect," Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-jin said on MBC Radio Thursday. "There was a strong consolidation of shy conservatives in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region."

Daegu once again held as a conservative bastion. Since independent candidate Moon Hee-gap won the city's first popular mayoral election in 1995, the post has been held continuously by the conservative camp. Kim mounted a meaningful challenge this cycle but ultimately could not break through the conservative wall.

Choo's campaign pledges center on nurturing five future industries — AI, robotics, future mobility, biotech and semiconductors — while upgrading the region's traditional pillars of machinery, metals and textiles to drive Daegu's economic revival.

Defeated candidate Kim accepted the result gracefully. "I humbly accept the outcome of the election," he said. "But this is my personal defeat — not a defeat for the Daegu citizens who yearn for change. I congratulate candidate Choo on his election."


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