Hong Eui-rak, Deputy Mayor of Daegu, on Resignation Rumors: "I've Been Receiving Many Inquiries Lately. I Caused Concern"

Posted a clarification on his Facebook... "I wanted to emphasize the 'national budget'"

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Hong Eui-rak, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Daegu City, recently drew a line regarding rumors about his resignation, stating, "'By the end of August, (the national budget issue) will be settled. The media expressed it as 'I will sort it out around that time,'" dismissing the resignation speculation for now.

On the 18th, Deputy Mayor Hong explained on his Facebook, "I have been receiving many inquiries about resignation lately," adding, "I wanted to emphasize 'Robot Test Field and the inclusion of 4 trillion won in the national budget.' I caused some concern."

He continued, "These days, there is a lot of investment interest in Daegu. Some major corporations are also paying attention. However, there are concerns," mentioning ▲the issue of diversifying Daegu's water sources and ▲the relocation of Daegu Airport.

Deputy Mayor Hong stated, "The Minister of Environment, the Mayor of Gumi, and the Mayor of Daegu have met several times. The Governor of Gyeongbuk also helped. As a result, we set a direction and opened a path," but expressed disappointment, saying, "However, Gumi's members of the National Assembly oppose it, and Daegu's members remain silent. Eventually, Representative Hong Joon-pyo criticized the provincial governor who spared no effort."

Regarding the Daegu Airport relocation issue, Deputy Mayor Hong said, "It is progressing well. SOC is being sequentially included in national projects. However, since the Daegu Airport relocation is based on the 'Special Act on Military Airport Relocation,' there is reluctance to enact another special law," proposing an alternative to the skepticism about promoting the 'Special Act on Integrated New Airport Relocation.'

He emphasized the need for practical response rather than a 'legal system debate,' saying, "There is no time. This is a golden opportunity. I think it would be better to find a way to satisfy the desired matters by amending the 'Special Act on Military Airport Relocation.'"

Meanwhile, at a press briefing on the 12th, when asked about his future political moves, Deputy Mayor Hong said, "It is time to wrap things up. I don't know the next step. I need to talk with Mayor Kwon, but I think the role should be settled around August. By August, the inclusion of next year's government budget will be completed, and after that, it will be the National Assembly's time."

Deputy Mayor Hong, who accepted Mayor Kwon Young-jin's proposal for Daegu-style cooperation and took office on July 1 last year, mentioned his position abruptly on this day ahead of his first anniversary in office, leading to interpretations that it is a preliminary move for running in next year's Daegu mayoral election or joining the presidential candidate (Lee Jae-myung) camp.

On the 12th, Hong Eui-rak, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Daegu City (left in the photo), visited the press room to express his resignation. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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