Participants in the 10th Central-Local Cooperation Council pose for a group photo at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. [North Gyeongsang Province]
Participants in the 10th Central-Local Cooperation Council pose for a group photo at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. [North Gyeongsang Province]

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho and North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo attended the 10th Central-Local Cooperation Council at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday, calling on the central government to provide full support for key regional priorities including the TK Airport project, administrative integration and a second round of public institution relocations.

The Central-Local Cooperation Council, chaired by the president, jointly deliberates on major national and local policy matters and is often referred to as a "second Cabinet meeting."

The two leaders doubled down on the need for substantive government support for key projects, including administrative integration, the second round of public institution relocations and the TK Airport.

Governor Lee proposed elevating the food industry to the status of a national strategic industry, arguing that when combined with AI, robotics and biotech, it could grow into a strategic sector on par with semiconductors — moving well beyond simple food processing.

North Gyeongsang Province said it is pursuing the establishment of a national test bed to drive full-cycle innovation in the food industry, anchored by a new food hallyu industry bureau and three food-tech hub sites, along with expanded pan-government support.

"Investment in North Gyeongsang Province is a national investment to secure a leading position in the global food market," Lee said. "North Gyeongsang will stand at the forefront of K-food and build a new growth engine for Korea's food hallyu industry."

The province also called for swift legislative action to enact a special law enabling the launch of the Daegu-North Gyeongsang integrated special city in 2028, framing it as a national balanced-development initiative in which local governments take ownership of their own futures. It further requested that the second round of public institution relocations take into account regional industrial foundations and national policy spillover effects, citing food-related agencies such as the Food Safety Information Service and the Korea Hansik Promotion Agency as candidates.

Mayor Choo also proposed expanded support for Daegu's AI transformation across industries and called for the city to be designated as a specialized cluster for advanced strategic industries.

Choo said Daegu's fiscal situation has become increasingly strained due to a shortfall in tax revenue caused by the real estate market downturn, compounded by rising fixed expenditures such as welfare spending. He said substantive support from the central government is urgently needed to lay the groundwork for a local-led economic revival.

"Full government support is needed to drive local-led growth through key priorities — the Daegu economic overhaul, the TK new airport construction, administrative integration, the second round of public institution relocations, the bid to attract a national dental research institute, and the selection of Kyungpook National University for the hub national university package support project," Choo said.

"The government has put forward many support measures, but Daegu has ranked last nationwide in per capita gross regional domestic product for 33 consecutive years," he added. "From the standpoint of balanced national development, the city requires special attention and support."


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