Hong Joon-pyo, a hard-line conservative who served as mayor of Daegu until April last year, has expressed support for liberal candidate Kim Boo-kyum in the June mayoral election in a rare cross-party endorsement.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Hong said his remarks were driven by a desire to see a capable successor who can work effectively with the central government.
“I hope the next mayor of Daegu will be someone competent and able to reach compromises with the central government,” he wrote, adding, “Please understand that I support Kim Boo-kyum, not the Democratic Party of Korea.”
Hong went on to urge Daegu voters to prioritize competence over party affiliation if it serves the city’s interests. He pointed to Busan as an example of a swing region benefiting from the ruling liberal administration, citing the proposed new airport and the Oceans Ministry's relocation to Busan as examples.
He said Daegu’s "blind voting patterns" (favoring only conservative People Power Party candidates) resulted in liberal administrations "treating the city like an abandoned child.”
Daegu has long been a conservative stronghold, remaining a reliable base for the right wing even in its most challenging elections.
Yet early polling suggests a markedly different landscape in the race for June 3 polls. A survey conducted by Realmeter at the request of TBC from March 28–29 and released on Tuesday found that 49.5 percent of respondents named Kim as the most suitable candidate to lead the city’s development. He was followed by Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party, who garnered 15.9 percent, trailing by 33.6 percentage points.
milaya@heraldcorp.com
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