"No major upset" in Daegu: People Power Party sweeps, strong showing in North Gyeongsang Province

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[Financial News, Daegu and Andong = Reporter Kim Jang-wook] "There was no major upset." Daegu, a conservative stronghold that did not allow surprises, saw a People Power Party sweep, while North Gyeongsang Province also showed strong support for the party.
\r\nAmid a nationwide surge for the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), conservative strongholds Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province did not produce any surprises, just as in past elections.
\r\nPeople Power Party candidates swept the Daegu mayoral race, the North Gyeongsang Province gubernatorial race, the heads of basic local governments in Daegu, and the Dalseong County by-election for the National Assembly.
\r\nIn the North Gyeongsang Province local elections for heads of basic local governments, the People Power Party held the upper hand, although a few independent winners emerged.
In the Daegu mayoral election in the 9th nationwide local elections, Choo Kyung-ho of the People Power Party won with 53.92% of the vote. Kim Boo-kyum of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lost with 45.05%. The margin between the two candidates was 8.87 percentage points, or 115,494 votes.
Reform Party candidate Lee Soo-chan received 1.02% of the vote.
Early in the count, Kim widened his lead over Choo to as much as 10 percentage points, but Choo began to pull ahead in the middle of the tally. He then cemented his lead and secured victory around 2:30 a.m. that day.
Lee Cheol-woo, the People Power Party candidate for governor of North Gyeongsang Province, was declared the winner early and secured a third consecutive term. With 67.24% of the vote, Lee comfortably pulled away from DPK candidate Oh Jung-ki, who received 32.75%, from the early stages of the count.
All nine district and county heads in Daegu from the People Power Party won election, each with more than 60% of the vote, defeating DPK candidates.
In particular, Gunwi County mayoral candidate Kim Jin-yeol won by a landslide with 77.39% of the vote.
In the North Gyeongsang Province local elections for heads of basic local governments, a few independent candidates made gains amid the People Power Party's dominance.
Candidates Jeon Hwa-sik of Seongju County, Nam Han-kwon of Ulleung County, Hwang I-ju of Uljin County and Park Kwon-hyun of Cheongdo County ran as independents and won seats.
Except for Uljin County, the other three districts held three- or four-way races, and the independent candidates won with 35% to 50% of the vote.
The remaining 18 districts were led by People Power Party candidates.
Incumbent heads running as independents, Choi Ki-moon in Yeongcheon and Shin Hyun-guk in Mungyeong, finished second and lost.
In the Dalseong County by-election for the National Assembly, People Power Party candidate Lee Jin-sook won without any upset, taking 59.06% of the vote. The margin over DPK candidate Park Hyeong-ryong, who received 40.93%, was 18.13 percentage points.
Meanwhile, in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province Superintendent of Education elections, conservative incumbent superintendents Kang Eun-hee and Lim Jong-sik won and secured third consecutive terms.
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gimju@fnnews.com Kim Jang-wook Reporter