Daegu mayoral race: Choo Kyung-ho vs. Kim Boo-kyum... Pyeongtaek B seen as Yu Eui-dong vs. Cho Kuk

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[Financial News] The People Power Party's Candidate Nomination Management Committee selected Rep. Choo Kyung-ho as its candidate for mayor of Daegu on the 26th. It also put forward former lawmaker Yu Eui-dong for the by-election in Pyeongtaek B.
The committee said Choo defeated Rep. Yoo Young-ha in the Daegu mayoral primary and was chosen as the final candidate. Yu was nominated without competition for Pyeongtaek B.
Choo has represented the Dalseong County district in Daegu and served three consecutive terms starting with the 20th National Assembly. Under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, he served as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance, the predecessor to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Budget. At the time of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, he was the People Power Party floor leader.
At first, there were concerns that conservative votes could be split after Rep. Joo Ho-young and former Korea Communications Commission Chair Lee Jin-sook were cut off by the People Power Party's nomination committee, raising the possibility that they might run as independents in the Daegu mayoral race. But both later announced they would not run, leaving Choo as the sole conservative candidate.
The Democratic Party of Korea had already positioned former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum as its candidate for mayor of Daegu. With Lee Jae-myung's approval ratings surging, support for the ruling and opposition parties is now running neck and neck even in Daegu, a conservative stronghold. Inside the party, there is growing expectation that Kim could become the Democratic Party's first mayor of Daegu. Choo and Kim are therefore expected to wage a fierce battle for the post.
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On the same day, the committee nominated former lawmaker Yu for the Pyeongtaek B by-election. Yu served three consecutive terms in Pyeongtaek B through the 21st National Assembly. He later ran in Pyeongtaek B in the 22nd general election but lost to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hyun-jung. He entered the by-election after the election victory of former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Byung-jin in Pyeongtaek B was invalidated over a violation of the Public Official Election Act.
Committee Chair Park Duk-hyum introduced Yu as "the best fit to lead Pyeongtaek's next leap forward, based on his proven policy capabilities as former Policy Committee Chairperson and his rich experience as a three-term senior lawmaker."
The Democratic Party has not yet chosen a candidate for Pyeongtaek B. In the broader pro-government camp, Cho Kuk of the Rebuilding Korea Party and Kim Jae-yeon of the Progressive Party are expected to run, raising the prospect of a unified progressive candidacy. The ruling camp believes Cho is likely to emerge as the unified candidate. Yu and Cho are therefore expected to face off one-on-one.
The by-election in Gyeyang B, Lee Jae-myung's former district when he was a National Assembly member, will hold an additional round of applications because no candidate has entered the race so far. The Democratic Party has put forward former Presidential Spokesperson Kim Nam-joon, who is classified as one of Lee's closest aides, as its candidate for Gyeyang B.
uknow@fnnews.com Kim Yoon-ho Reporter