Rep. Joo Ho-young, a six-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party, speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, announcing his decision to drop his bid for the Daegu mayor race in the upcoming June 3 local elections. Yonhap
Rep. Joo Ho-young, a six-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), announced Thursday he will not run for mayor of the traditional conservative stronghold of Daegu after a high court dismissed his injunction request to suspend the party's cutoff decision.
His announcement came nearly a month after the PPP excluded the heavyweight from the nomination process, prompting him to file for a court injunction challenging his exclusion. The Seoul High Court dismissed his injunction request Wednesday, upholding an earlier ruling by a district court.
"I believed that continued disputes over my candidacy would do more harm than good to the election," Joo said during a press conference at the National Assembly as he announced his decision not to run in the June 3 election.
He also ruled out the possibility of running as an independent.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea named former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum as its candidate early on, as the liberal party seeks to hold the upper hand in the elections by fielding one of its heavyweights in Daegu, long considered an unwavering stronghold for the conservative bloc.
"I did not take Kim's growing momentum lightly," Joo said, expressing concerns over whether the PPP's current primary lineup would be strong enough to counter his momentum.
The Daegu mayoral race has drawn nationwide attention with Kim entering the race, raising expectations of a tight competition in the PPP's longtime stronghold.
Last week, the PPP chose two finalists from six preliminary candidates — Reps. Choo Kyung-ho and Yoo Yeong-ha — to advance to the final round of its nomination process.
Source: Korea Times News
