A candidate born in the 1980s who is competing for the People Power Party’s nomination for a local executive post in Daegu has rattled the city’s political scene by publicly challenging a high-profile mayoral contender to a debate.
On April 4, Hwang Si-hyeok, the People Power Party’s Suseong-gu mayoral primary candidate, publicly challenged former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum—who has declared his bid for Daegu mayor—saying, “Abandon the thin opportunism aimed at winning votes and let’s hold a one-on-one, no-holds-barred debate about Daegu’s youth and future, without ranks.”
The offer was widely interpreted as a direct rebuttal to Kim’s recent statement, “To the Youth of Daegu,” and his subsequent political moves.
Hwang specifically criticized Kim for invoking former presidents Park Chung-hee and Park Geun-hye—apparently to court conservative voters in Daegu—calling it “shameful for a senior politician to deny his party’s ideology while name-checking past figures solely to win an election.” He described the tactic as “typical populism that betrays the pride of Daegu residents.”
The dispute also turned to youth policy. Hwang labeled Kim’s youth-related remarks “anachronistic pandering by an old-guard politician,” accusing him of citing the bygone Ubang Land era when discussing youth outflow and of revealing outdated views on gender issues.
On proposals such as creating startup special zones and a so-called “robot capital,” Hwang argued that young people want environments that enable initiative—along with technology security and digital financial infrastructure—rather than top-down cash handouts.
Born in 1982, Hwang graduated from Daegu Catholic University and studied at Michigan State University. He served as youth chairman of the Dalseong-gun party branch in Daegu and, from 2020 to 2023, chaired the party’s Mokpo branch in South Jeolla, working in a region long considered difficult terrain for the People Power Party.
The only candidate born in the 1980s among the People Power Party’s applicants for Daegu mayoral nominations, Hwang has raised his profile by promoting policies such as upgrading Suseong to a national technology-security special zone, drawing on his experience as a member of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion.
Hwang reiterated: “As a genuine young stakeholder born in the 1980s and an administrative expert ready to take responsibility for Suseong-gu’s future, we must break with politics stuck in the past. Stop choosing ideologies for votes and stop using youth as decorative props. Accept a one-on-one public debate.”
With a near-rookie young candidate publicly challenging a heavyweight contender, local political circles are watching closely to see whether former Prime Minister Kim will respond.
(The CEN News) Reporter Si Seong-bae ssb8771@naver.com
