Choo Kyung-ho takes office as Daegu mayor, vows to make city a national leader

Choo Kyung-ho was inaugurated as Daegu mayor on Wednesday, officially beginning his term in office.

Choo was sworn in at a ceremony held that morning at Palgong Hall of the Daegu Culture and Arts Center, marking the formal launch of his city administration.

The inauguration featured pre-ceremony performances, a national salute, the oath of office, an inaugural address, a flower presentation by a citizen representative, a congratulatory performance and a communal singing of the Daegu Citizens' Song. About 1,000 people attended, including the Daegu superintendent of education, the mayors of the city's nine districts and wards, and members of the public.

Choo declared "Change and Growth, a Better Tomorrow" as his governing vision and outlined five key goals to achieve it: a sweeping economic transformation to lead the future, cultural happiness for all, a spatial overhaul to change everyday life, safety and welfare protection for everyone, and citizen-centered empathetic governance.

"I will work with citizens to build a new Daegu under the vision of 'Change and Growth, a Better Tomorrow,'" Choo said in his inaugural address. "Through change and growth, grounded in citizen participation and cooperation, I will create a better future for Daegu and make it a city that leads the nation."

He also pledged to "carry forward Daegu's pride, achieve a great economic leap, build a city centered on culture and youth, innovate urban spaces, strengthen safety and welfare, abolish the mayoral residence, and practice open, citizen-first governance."

Earlier that morning, before the ceremony, Choo began his first official schedule with visits to Sinam National Patriots Cemetery and the Chunghoontap war memorial, where he paid his respects to fallen patriots and war heroes in a solemn atmosphere.

The inauguration also broke with the ceremonial tree-planting tradition, which Choo dismissed as performative. In its place, a "Tree of Hope Messages" was set up at the venue, allowing citizens to write their wishes on leaf-shaped cards.

Immediately after the ceremony, Choo returned to City Hall and convened a working-level dosirak ("lunchbox") cabinet meeting in place of formal document approvals, signaling a governing philosophy that puts livelihoods first by using every available moment to tackle pressing issues.

At 4:30 p.m., he held an open staff forum at the main auditorium of the Sangyeok office building, where employees across all ranks were encouraged to speak freely in a session designed to foster open communication. After wrapping up his first day's official schedule, Choo visited the 2026 Daegu Chimaek Festival to meet and mingle with citizens directly.