Lee Jin-sook, a former member of the Broadcasting, Media and Communications Commission who was excluded by the People Power Party from its June 3 nomination process for Daegu mayor, appeared at the KBO season opener wearing a sash that read "Daegu mayoral preliminary candidate." Her appearance was a public protest against the party's decision to block her nomination.
On the 28th, Lee visited Samsung Lions Park in Suseong District, Daegu. Wearing a Samsung jersey, she carried a sash identifying her as "Daegu mayoral preliminary candidate Lee Jin-sook" and handed out business cards to attendees.
The dispute stems from the People Power Party's decision to disqualify Lee from the Daegu mayoral race. The party's nomination committee said, "What Daegu needs at this turning point is not a competition of political résumés but a contest of the ability to change the city," and announced the exclusion of Lee and Rep. Joo Ho-young. Lee has lodged an appeal seeking reconsideration of the decision.
Lee has continued campaigning beyond the ballpark, visiting venues such as the Dalseong Park dawn market. On the 28th she wrote on social media, "I shared Hong Gil-dong's pain. At the Dalseong Park dawn market, I met citizens who said they couldn't call me the party's candidate and who told me I would return to the party. They felt their aspirations had been cut off."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party plans to field former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum as its candidate for Daegu mayor. Kim intends to formally announce his bid at the National Assembly on the morning of the 30th and at Daegu's 2·28 Memorial Central Park that afternoon. Since 1995, no Democratic-affiliated candidate has won the Daegu mayoralty.
However, a Realmeter poll released on the 25th showed Kim holding a narrow lead, within the margin of error, in hypothetical matchups against eight People Power Party primary candidates, including Lee and Rep. Joo Ho-young. Kim led Lee by 6.6 percentage points—within the poll's margin of error—and he led Joo Ho-young and Rep. Choo Kyung-ho by 7.1 and 9.9 percentage points, respectively.
The poll cited in the article was commissioned by the Yeongnam Ilbo and conducted by Realmeter from the 22nd to the 23rd, surveying 812 Daegu residents aged 18 and older. The survey used automated responses (100% wireless virtual numbers) and recorded a 7.2% response rate. At a 95% confidence level, the margin of error is ±3.4 percentage points. For full details, refer to the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
