Hong Jun-pyo endorses Kim Boo-kyum for Daegu mayor, calls race 'last chance' for city

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo again explained why he is backing Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Daegu mayor.

In a social media post late Sunday, Hong said he was supporting Kim because Kim was "the person who will complete the new airport," and added that the upcoming Daegu mayoral election would be "the last chance for Daegu."

Hong said that after he left office, major conglomerates that had committed to data center and urban air mobility projects worth trillions of won — investments he had secured during his tenure — one by one announced they were pulling out of Daegu and relocating to other regions. "It was because they saw the new airport as likely to fall through," he said.

He then said the top condition for attracting large corporations was a new airport, followed by reliable electricity and water supply, and then an abundance of skilled talent. "Daegu can meet the second and third conditions with modest improvements, but the first is impossible under the current approach," he said.

Hong said that when Daegu's textile industry began to collapse some 30 years ago, the city's industrial structure should have been overhauled, but none of Daegu's politicians stepped up — they simply held their positions. As a result, he said, Daegu has been stuck at the bottom of regional gross domestic product rankings for three decades.

He said that to revive Daegu, he had launched a sweeping industrial restructuring drive as mayor, attracting more than 40 advanced technology companies, with the recruitment of major conglomerates as the crowning step. "To make that happen, we needed to open an air corridor, which is why I focused on the new airport," he said.

He went on to say he would "watch and see what decision the people of my hometown make."

설마했는데…“백종원 어쩌다 600억 증발” 믿었던 사람들 ‘망연자실’

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