Kim Boo-gyeom Vows to Restore Daegu’s "City of Merchants" Reputation... Promises Leap Forward for Small Businesses and Neighborhood Commercial Districts

Kim Boo-kyum, the Democratic Party's preliminary candidate for Daegu mayor, announced the “Small Business and Neighborhood Business Leap Project” on April 27, stating, “By properly utilizing government finances, I will restore the reputation of Daegu as a city of merchants.”

On the afternoon of the 26th, at the opening ceremony of the Hope Camp election office for Democratic Party mayoral candidate Kim Boo-kyum near Duryu Station in Dalseo-gu, Daegu, candidate Kim is giving a speech. Photo by Yonhap News

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Candidate Kim pledged to gradually expand the budget for Daegu LoPay from the current 300 billion won to 600 billion won. He explained that the system will be operated separately for boosting citizen spending and attracting tourist consumption, and that within the additional 300 billion won expansion, a section will be designated for enhanced support for low-income and vulnerable groups. He also plans to introduce an “electronic voucher support system” (mileage), aiming to achieve the largest possible consumption stimulus effect relative to the fiscal input.

In addition, to protect small business owners facing difficulties due to the war in the Middle East, Kim said he would implement the “High Oil Price Support Three-Piece Set,” which includes measures for interest rates, insurance, and business restart support. By working with financial institutions, he plans to double the current annual small business financial support from 2.2 trillion won to 4.4 trillion won. He also plans to reduce the burden of social insurance premiums such as employment insurance and workers’ compensation insurance for self-employed individuals, thereby strengthening the safety net. Furthermore, he will establish a support system ranging from business closure to reopening, and announced the operation of a “Major Franchise Abuse Reporting Center” to protect the rights and interests of small business owners from various disadvantages experienced during the closure process.

Candidate Kim declared that he will form a “Commercial Belt” connecting surrounding areas to develop Daegu’s business districts. To this end, he plans to attract anchor stores, secure dedicated spaces for pop-up stores, implement storytelling, and promote coupon sharing.

He also pledged to support the establishment of a Daegu-style integrated logistics service (fulfillment), a shared logistics infrastructure for small business owners, to strengthen the logistics competitiveness of neighborhood businesses. The plan includes lowering costs through joint purchasing and reducing delivery charges.

In addition, Candidate Kim promised to operate support programs for single-person self-employed individuals, such as paid sick leave.

Kim stated, “By linking upcoming policies to turn traditional markets into tourism resources with the strategy to rebuild Daegu’s global city brand, I will complete small business and livelihood economy policies that will double annual tourism industry revenue from approximately 550 billion won to over 1 trillion won.”

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