Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho presides over an expanded senior staff meeting at the Dong-in government building on Tuesday. [Daegu City]
Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho presides over an expanded senior staff meeting at the Dong-in government building on Tuesday. [Daegu City]

Daegu City is mobilizing all available resources to push for the swift advancement of the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province new airport project — known as the TK new airport — and to secure a shift to state-led construction.

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho on Tuesday directed officials at an expanded senior staff meeting at the Dong-in government building to station half of the airport construction team permanently at the National Assembly. "Until the regular session ends, visit the offices of Assembly members and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to explain the necessity of state-led construction and the rationale behind the project," Choo said.

Choo said the conversion to a national project and the securing of funds from the Public Capital Management Fund are not mutually exclusive, and that both tracks should be pursued simultaneously to secure initial project costs and prioritize site compensation.

He also called for close cooperation among all city departments to support the Assembly's budget deliberations and the passage of legislation on regional issues, and said the city would actively brief the Daegu City Council on key matters including the budget and municipal ordinances to seek its cooperation.

The mayor also emphasized public welfare and citizen safety, directing officials to carefully attend to protecting vulnerable residents against winter cold snaps, supporting women in welfare blind spots, fostering a culture of accountability within the fire department, and following through on measures to normalize the housing market.

Choo closed by calling for innovation and stronger organizational capacity across the city's civil service. "We must boldly cut unnecessary and inefficient work, and pursue what truly must be done with greater speed and thoroughness," he said. "I will make Daegu City Hall the most dynamic organization in the country — one that stands out for its work capacity and sense of responsibility."


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