On a crisp late March morning in Seoul, the air inside Conference House Dalgaebi felt charged with anticipation. Former Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, a political figure well acquainted with both national and local stages, met with Jeong Cheong-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, to discuss a decision that could shake up one of South Korea’s most closely watched local elections. By the end of their meeting on March 26, 2026, it was clear: Kim was poised to declare his run for Daegu mayor, a move that could transform the city’s political landscape and inject new energy into a race already brimming with intrigue.
Kim’s announcement, slated for March 30 at 10:30 a.m. at the National Assembly, comes at a time when Daegu—long considered a conservative stronghold—finds itself at a political crossroads. According to reporting by Hankyoreh and TBC, Kim’s decision to step forward wasn’t made lightly. The former prime minister, who previously secured a National Assembly seat from Daegu, carries both the experience and local credibility that could make him a formidable contender in the upcoming June 3, 2026, local elections.
“It seems it’s been over two months since the party first reached out about this,” Kim reflected after his meeting with Jeong, as quoted by Hankyoreh. “I wondered if it might be better to give younger generations a chance, but recently, the requests from the party, and especially from colleagues and younger members working hard on the ground in Daegu, have become impossible to ignore. I realized I couldn’t avoid this any longer.”
Kim’s candidacy quickly became the talk of political circles, not only because of his own track record but also due to the shifting electoral dynamics in Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongbuk region. A recent nationwide survey conducted by Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research, and published on March 26, revealed a virtual dead heat between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party in the region, with the former polling at 25% and the latter at 27%. The poll, which used telephone interviews and had a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, underscored just how competitive the race has become.
Kim’s strength as a candidate was further reinforced by a Realmeter poll commissioned by Yeongnam Ilbo on March 22 and 23, which surveyed 812 Daegu residents aged 18 and older. The results were striking: Kim Bu-gyeom outperformed all eight potential People Power Party (PPP) candidates in head-to-head matchups. The poll’s margin of error was ±3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, but the message was clear—Kim’s appeal transcended traditional party lines, positioning him as a serious threat to the PPP’s historical dominance in Daegu.
Inside the Democratic Party, the mood was one of cautious optimism. Jeong Cheong-rae, speaking after the meeting, didn’t mince words about the stakes. “There’s no one but Prime Minister Kim who can be our winning card in Daegu,” he declared, according to Hankyoreh. “Prime Minister, you are a public asset. I sincerely ask you once again to make the decision.” Jeong went further, promising the full backing of the ruling party. “If there’s anything you need in Daegu, or anything you want, I want to be the ‘do anything for you’ center director. We’ll use every legal means possible to address major issues like relocating the military airport, transitioning to artificial intelligence, and making Daegu a hub for robotics.”
For Kim, the decision wasn’t just about party loyalty or personal ambition. “I thought maybe it would be better to give the opportunity to someone younger,” he admitted, “but the urgent requests from the party and from those working in Daegu made me realize it would be wrong to avoid this responsibility. That’s why I’m here, confirming the party’s intentions and preparing to make my position clear.”
Meanwhile, the People Power Party is grappling with its own internal turmoil. The nomination process for Daegu mayor has become a lightning rod for controversy, with prominent figures like Representative Joo Ho-young and former Broadcasting and Communications Commissioner Lee Jin-sook both excluded from the party’s shortlist. The fallout has been swift and public. On March 26, Joo Ho-young filed an injunction in court to halt his exclusion from the nomination, denouncing the decision as “malicious and retaliatory.”
“The malicious nomination decisions and the specter of retaliatory, targeted nominations that have plagued conservative parties have returned yet again,” Joo told reporters at the National Assembly’s communication center, as cited by Hankyoreh. When pressed about the possibility of running as an independent, Joo responded, “I am preparing for all possibilities.” The implication was unmistakable: the internal strife within the PPP could fracture the conservative vote and open the door even wider for an upset.
Lee Jin-sook, another high-profile figure excluded from the PPP’s nomination, has also voiced strong objections. She has demanded that Lee Jeong-hyun, the chair of the nomination committee, publicly explain the criteria used in the selection process—a call that has so far gone unanswered. The ongoing discord within the PPP stands in stark contrast to the Democratic Party’s unified front behind Kim Bu-gyeom.
The Democratic Party isn’t letting up, either. On March 27, the party’s nomination management committee is set to officially open up the candidate pool for Daegu mayor, a move widely seen as a formality given Kim’s near-certain candidacy. As the field narrows, the focus will increasingly turn to the head-to-head matchup between Kim and whichever candidate finally emerges from the PPP’s fractious selection process.
All of this is unfolding against a backdrop of shifting political allegiances in Daegu, a city that has long been considered the beating heart of South Korea’s conservative movement. The close polling numbers and the PPP’s internal conflicts have injected a sense of unpredictability into a race that, in previous years, might have seemed a foregone conclusion. For the Democratic Party, Kim’s candidacy represents not just a chance to win in Daegu, but also an opportunity to signal a broader realignment in South Korean politics.
As the days tick down to Kim Bu-gyeom’s formal announcement, all eyes are on Daegu. The city’s voters, long accustomed to one-party dominance, are suddenly being courted with unprecedented intensity. With both major parties taking bold—and sometimes risky—steps, the stage is set for a mayoral race that could redefine the region’s political identity for years to come.
For now, the only certainty is uncertainty. As Kim Bu-gyeom prepares to step into the spotlight and the PPP scrambles to restore unity, Daegu’s political future hangs in the balance, promising a contest as dramatic as any in recent memory.