Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin Ends Bid for Third Term ... Announces Non-Candidacy Press Conference on the 30th

Mayor Kwon Young-jin of Daegu.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] It is reported that Kwon Young-jin, the mayor of Daegu, will not run in the nationwide simultaneous local elections this June, giving up his bid for a third term.

Mayor Kwon is expected to announce his decision not to run at a press conference on the morning of the 30th.

According to local political circles, the day before, Mayor Kwon conveyed to local politicians and his close aides his intention not to run for the Daegu mayoral election and shared his future plans.

It is believed that Mayor Kwon gave up his dream of becoming a three-term mayor of Daegu due to the burden of so-called "downward pressure" from heavyweight figures in the central political arena and accumulated fatigue from seeking a third term.

Last year, Mayor Kwon expressed his intention to step down and help Daegu if a suitable successor emerged.

In local political circles, stagnant approval ratings in various opinion polls are also seen as a factor solidifying this decision.

There is also a possibility that this could lead to implicit support for other prospective candidates or those planning to run.

If Mayor Kwon's decision not to run is confirmed, the Daegu mayoral election landscape is expected to be fiercely shaken, with questions about whether the support base will shift to Representative Hong Joon-pyo or former Supreme Council member Kim Jae-won, and whether lawyer Yoo Young-ha, who has hinted at running, will actually enter the race.

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