Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho. [Provided by Daegu city government]
Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho. [Provided by Daegu city government]

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho said Tuesday he would accelerate regulatory reform to remove obstacles to business activity and revitalize the local economy.

Speaking at the 2026 Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Convention at Hotel Interbulgo in Daegu, Choo said city officials must examine the business environment from the perspective of entrepreneurs. "We will prioritize improving municipal ordinances and regulations that hinder business activity to breathe new life into the local economy," he said.

He said every large corporation today started as a small business. "Small and medium-sized enterprises must thrive for the local economy to recover, and for South Korea's overall economic competitiveness to rise," he said.

According to the city government, about 350,000 small and medium-sized enterprises operate in Daegu, accounting for 99.9 percent of all businesses and 92.3 percent of local employment, making them the backbone of the regional economy.

Choo said the economy is Daegu's top priority. "We will pursue a fundamental overhaul of the local economy's structure — what we call the 'Daegu Economic Transformation' — through fostering future industries and bold regulatory reform, making it the central pillar of city administration," he said.

He added that the city would operate an emergency economic task force on a standing basis to closely monitor business concerns and grievances from the field, and swiftly address unreasonable regulations.

Earlier, at a senior staff meeting Monday, Choo directed officials to establish a dedicated channel for handling business regulatory complaints, hear concerns directly from the field and provide prompt updates on the status of each case.

The city plans to hold its first emergency economic task force meeting, chaired by the mayor, on Thursday, formally launching field-centered economic administration by continuously gathering business grievances and identifying regulatory reform tasks.

About 160 people attended the event, including Choo, North Gyeongsang Province Vice Governor for Economic Affairs Yang Geum-hee, and representatives from small businesses and economic organizations.

At the ceremony, 46 small-business owners received honors, including the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, presidential commendations and Daegu mayoral awards.

"We will concentrate all our efforts on restoring and growing the regional economy together with small-business owners, so that Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province — which once led South Korea's industrialization — can rise again," Choo said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com