Decision on Kim Boo-kyum’s Run for Mayor of Daegu Expected This Week; DPK Says He Is “the Right Person”

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said on the 22nd that a decision on whether former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Kim Boo-kyum will run for Mayor of Daegu is expected within this week.
Cho Seung-rae, the DPK secretary-general, held a press briefing at the National Assembly that day and said, "We have communicated with former Prime Minister Kim through various direct and indirect channels," adding, "I cannot specify a date, but it is time to reach a conclusion one way or the other."
Cho went on, "I understand that the party has also gone through various discussions and deliberations regarding former Prime Minister Kim," and explained, "I think it is appropriate to settle the matter within this week, and I understand that former Prime Minister Kim thinks so as well."
Accordingly, the DPK will discuss whether to reopen applications for candidates for Mayor of Daegu and related issues at two meetings of the Candidate Nomination Management Committee scheduled for the 24th and 27th next week.
Cho praised former Prime Minister Kim as the right person to tackle the many pending issues facing Daegu Metropolitan City. He said, "In Daegu Metropolitan City, both gross regional product and total income have remained near the bottom for almost 30 years," and continued, "In the current situation where Daegu-Gyeongbuk administrative integration has fallen through, we need someone who has the power and ability to communicate directly with the president and the central government in order to secure new growth engines and resolve key pending issues."
He then assessed former Prime Minister Kim as "particularly the right person to resolve major local issues in Daegu Metropolitan City, such as military airport relocation and the relocation of public institutions."
He also criticized the People Power Party (PPP), which is currently embroiled in internal strife over its candidate for Mayor of Daegu, saying it is "nothing more than a struggle between parachute candidates." He argued, "With frogs trapped in the well of the PPP’s entrenched interests, it will be difficult to pioneer the economic future of Daegu Metropolitan City."
Meanwhile, regarding the appeal filed by former party spokesperson Kim Ji-ho, who was cut off after seeking to run for Mayor of Seongnam, Cho said, "The Central Party Reconsideration Committee is mandated to make that judgment," and added, "It will independently review why the Gyeonggi Provincial Party Nomination Management Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea made such a decision, whether it was appropriate, and whether former spokesperson Kim’s claims are justified."

gowell@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Hyeong-gu Reporter