Daegu Independent Candidates Withdraw One After Another... Joo Sung-young and Lee Jin-hoon Claim "Conservative Unity"

A photo posted by candidate Lee Jin-hoon on his Facebook.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] After being excluded from the Future United Party's nomination for the April 15 general election, candidates in the Daegu region who had declared their independent candidacy have consecutively withdrawn mid-race under the pretext of "consolidating conservatism."

On the 1st, Lee Jin-hoon, candidate for Suseong-gu Gap, Daegu, announced his withdrawal through a press release, stating, "There were serious disagreements within the campaign and among supporters regarding whether to continue or withdraw, but I have decided to follow the demands of the times and the prevailing trend."

He added, "I have decided to put aside all past conflicts and personal regrets for the cause of judging the administration and the victory of the conservative candidate," and "I am withdrawing before the official election campaign begins so that voters can make a wise choice."

Lee's withdrawal appears to be based on recent local opinion polls showing that he had no chance of winning by a large margin against Democratic Party candidate Kim Boo-kyum and United Party candidate Joo Ho-young. With Lee's withdrawal, the Suseong-gu Gap race will be a direct contest between Kim Boo-kyum and Joo Ho-young.

Immediately after announcing his withdrawal, Lee reportedly met with Hong Joon-pyo, an independent candidate running in the adjacent Suseong-gu Eul district, and agreed to serve as the general election campaign committee chairman.

The photo shows candidate Joo Sung-young protesting his exclusion from the United Future Party nomination and declaring his independent candidacy.

Earlier, on the 31st of last month, Joo Sung-young, an independent candidate running in Buk-gu Eul, Daegu, suddenly announced his withdrawal during a debate hosted by TBC Daegu Broadcasting. Joo had also left the United Party in protest of the party's nomination process.

Joo stated, "I will never accept Kim Hyung-oh's nomination, but I am withdrawing my candidacy in line with the cause of stopping the Moon Jae-in administration." With Joo's withdrawal, the Buk-gu Gap race in Daegu has shifted to a three-way contest among Democratic Party candidate Hong Ui-rak, United Party candidate Kim Seung-soo, and Justice Party candidate Lee Young-jae.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.