Kim Boo-kyum, a Democratic Party preliminary candidate for Daegu mayor, said the city's economic landscape can only change when the transformation of existing manufacturing and the growth of future industries move together, pledging to push industrial transformation as his top campaign promise.
"Daegu citizens have placed their trust in one political party for more than 30 years, but the local economy remains at the bottom and young people are leaving," Kim said in an interview with Seoul Economic Daily at his campaign office in Dalseo-gu, Daegu on Tuesday.
Kim's biggest strength is being a candidate backed by a powerful government and ruling party. "Even when holding policy discussions with local institutions and organizations, incumbent Democratic Party lawmakers participate together," he stressed. "This reflects our commitment to translating on-the-ground voices into policy pledges and connecting them with the necessary legislative support."
Kim said that immediately upon election, he would form a joint integration committee with the governor of North Gyeongsang Province and secure democratic legitimacy for integration through a referendum, with the goal of electing an integrated local government head in the 2028 general election.
-Daegu has become the biggest battleground of the June 3 local elections.
△This is because the desire for political change and the urgency of economic recovery have grown simultaneously. Politics in which candidates were elected solely under a specific party's banner has failed to change citizens' lives. Now, public sentiment is increasingly focused on who can actually revive Daegu.
-Daegu's economy is in crisis.
△Daegu's traditional manufacturing has a foundation, but productivity and added value have stagnated. I will upgrade machinery, metals, auto parts, and textiles by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation. I will shift the low-wage, low-value-added structure to a high-wage, high-value-added one. On top of this, I will nurture AI robotics, future mobility, healthcare, and quantum industries as new growth pillars. I will develop the fields Daegu excels in and turn them into new growth engines.
-How will you attract companies, young people, and jobs to Daegu?
△There must be industries to sustain the region before companies come, young people stay, and jobs are created. The AI transformation is a clear opportunity for Daegu. I will elevate Daegu into an 'AI Robot Capital' and create 100,000 quality jobs by 2035.
-What is your solution for the relocation of the K2 military airport (new airport construction)?
△The TK new airport is a mega-project with a total cost of 15 trillion won ($10.9 billion), but it has been at a standstill for more than eight years. What matters most now is actually opening the floodgates for the project. In consultation with the party, I will secure 1 trillion won in funding by combining 500 billion won from the Public Capital Management Fund and 500 billion won in special government support.
-As a ruling party candidate, expectations are high that you will bring in significant government funding.
△Daegu needs a breakthrough. Full-scale government support is essential to revive Daegu's stagnant economy. The current alignment of President Lee Jae-myung's four-year term and the mayor's four-year term presents a golden opportunity to develop Daegu. Having served as a lawmaker, Minister of the Interior and Safety, and Prime Minister, I have handled budgets and administration directly. I will persuade the government and coordinate with the National Assembly to resolve Daegu's long-pending projects one by one. If we miss this opportunity, it will not be easy for Daegu to catch up.
-The People Power Party is on the offensive over the fabricated indictment special counsel probe.
△This is a Daegu mayoral election, and political battles should not be repeated. The situation in Daegu is not so leisurely that we can afford to argue about progressive versus conservative. Local elections are about choosing workers who will run the administration and revive the local economy.
