Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Daegu mayor, said Wednesday that the failed Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative merger should be revived quickly, stating the region should "receive at least 10 trillion won ($7.3 billion) in support funds in whatever form possible."
Kim made the remarks during a press conference at a restaurant in Jung-gu, Daegu, when asked whether he was considering holding an election for a unified regional chief during the general election two years from now if he becomes Daegu mayor.
His response was interpreted as signaling that if elected, he would restart the administrative merger process and leave open the possibility of shortening his mayoral term to elect a unified Daegu-Gyeongbuk chief executive in the next general election two years later.
"It's meaningless to ask whose fault it is. The bus has already left," Kim said. "That's why we need to restart this quickly."
"Because there is a fixed term for the local chief, if we drag this out for four years, the opportunity will be gone," he added. "There is no guarantee that the next administration will provide those support funds."
Regarding the Daegu-Gyeongbuk integrated new airport project, Kim said, "We need to borrow government money first to secure the land — that's how things get moving. The donation-for-concession framework alone won't get the job done."
When asked whether borrowing government funds referred to the Public Capital Management Fund, he replied, "That should be the first step to unlock this."
"Gwangju can relocate its airport for 6 trillion to 7 trillion won, and the entire existing site remains available. That site connects to the Naju Energy Valley and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)," Kim said. "Gwangju and South Jeolla, which have chosen to foster the AI industry, are moving much faster and more aggressively than us. Companies can't help but find that attractive and head there."
Meanwhile, Kim is accelerating the formation of his election campaign.
Democratic Party lawmaker Kwon Chil-seung, who represents Hwaseong-byeong in Gyeonggi Province, has been named co-chairman of the campaign committee. Kwon, who chairs the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, is originally from Yeongcheon in North Gyeongsang Province and previously served as Minister of SMEs and Startups under the Moon Jae-in administration.
Chae Hong-ho, former administrative deputy mayor of Daegu, will serve as head of the general policy division, while Kim Young-gil, former policy director of the Democratic Party's policy committee, will serve as policy division chief.
Attorney Baek Su-beom will serve as the campaign spokesperson. Baek previously ran as the Democratic Party candidate in a by-election for the National Assembly seat representing Daegu's Jung-gu and Nam-gu districts.
Heo So, chairperson of the Democratic Party's Daegu chapter, will serve as the campaign's general operations chief.