PPP picks Choo Kyung-ho to face Kim Boo-kyum in Daegu mayoral election

Choo Kyung-ho raises his fist after answering reporters’ questions at the People Power Party's Daegu office, Sunday, following his selection as its candidate for Daegu mayor in the June 3 local elections. Yonhap

The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on Sunday confirmed Rep. Choo Kyung-ho as its candidate for Daegu mayor in the June 3 local elections, setting up a two-way race with Kim Boo-kyum, the candidate for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

Choo, who served as deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance from 2022 to 2023 under ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, secured the nomination through a combination of party member voting and a public opinion poll conducted over Friday and Saturday.

PPP nomination committee chief Rep. Park Duk-hyum announced Choo's candidacy during a briefing at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido. “The final result was calculated by converting both the party member votes and the public survey into a unified percentage based on valid votes, and then applying additional weighting factors,” he said.

The nomination comes after weeks of internal friction within the conservative PPP, which had raised the possibility of independent bids, have largely subsided. Rep. Joo Ho-young’s legal challenge to his exclusion from the primary was rejected, while former Korea Communications Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook dropped her plan to run independently. Party officials say the resolution of these disputes removes concerns over vote splitting and allows the party to shift its campaigning into full election mode.

With the nomination finalized, the Daegu race is expected to become a direct contest between Choo and Kim, a former prime minister and a key figure in the ruling DPK.

Speaking to reporters after his nomination, Choo acknowledged criticism of the party’s recent infighting.

“I apologize. Politics should be a source of strength, but we have caused concern,” he said.

He also stressed unity going into the campaign, saying, “From this moment on, we are one team.”

Kim Boo-kyum, Daegu mayoral candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at the opening of his campaign office near Duryu Station in Daegu’s Dalseo District, Sunday. Yonhap

The DPK has also begun mobilizing its campaign resources in Daegu, signaling a more competitive race than in previous elections.

Kim highlighted the backing of party lawmakers, with dozens expected to visit the city in a show of support.

“They will not come empty-handed. If it is legislation, they will bring legislation. If it is budget, they will bring budget,” Kim said Saturday in a message posted on social media.

DPK leads most major polls

The Daegu race is unfolding against a broader electoral landscape that continues to favor the ruling party.

Recent surveys show the DPK leading in most races, ahead in around 11 of 13 metropolitan and provincial contests where candidates have been finalized.

In the Seoul mayoral race, a survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute commissioned by CBS on Wednesday and Thursday showed DPK candidate Chong Won-o at 45.6 percent and incumbent Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the PPP at 35.4 percent, a gap of 10.2 percentage points.

However, conservative voters are showing signs of regrouping in their traditional strongholds. In Busan and Ulsan, recent polls showed the gap narrowing to within the margin of error, pointing to a tighter race.

The PPP appears to be positioning the Daegu contest as a key battleground as it seeks to consolidate its base following a period of internal division.

At the same briefing, PPP nomination committee chief Park also announced decisions related to upcoming by-elections, naming former lawmaker Yu Eui-dong as the party’s sole candidate for the parliamentary by-election in the Pyeongtaek-B constituency in Gyeonggi Province.

“Yu has demonstrated strong policy capabilities and brings the experience of a three-term lawmaker,” Park said.

The party will also open an additional round of applications for the Incheon Gyeyang-B by-election, with submissions scheduled through Tuesday and candidate interviews set for Wednesday.

Park said he favors applying competitive primaries across all expected by-election races.

“With nine by-election districts anticipated, I believe the principle of primaries should be applied across all of them,” he said.

The KSOI survey was conducted on 1,001 Seoul residents aged 18 or older using wireless ARS, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.