Former President Park Geun-hye, third from left, greets citizens and merchants with the People Power Party's Daegu mayoral candidate, Choo Kyung-ho, second from left, during a campaign event at Chilseong Market in Daegu’s Buk District, Saturday. YonhapEarly in the year, when parties began to select candidates for the June 3 local elections, the Daegu mayoral race appeared to favor liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) candidate Kim Boo-kyum, as the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP) was mired in an internal feud over candidate selection.This raised speculation that the liberal candidate could gain an easy win in Daegu, long regarded as a conservative stronghold.That picture is changing.In the final stretch of the campaign, PPP candidate Choo Kyung-ho has narrowed the gap by leaning on his image as an economic policymaker, while conservatives have increasingly framed the race as a battle to keep Daegu in conservative hands.Polls show that the race has tightened significantly over the past month.In a survey of 800 Daegu citizens conducted from May 16 to 20 by Korea Research and commissioned by KBS, released on Thursday, Kim led with 40 percent support, narrowly ahead of Choo at 39 percent.The gap had narrowed steadily from 7 percentage points in a survey conducted by the same pollster between April 27 and 29, with Kim receiving 38 percent and Choo 31 percent, to 4 percentage points conducted between May 4 and 6, showing Kim at 41 percent and Choo at 37 percent.The unexpectedly tight race is different from previous elections in Daegu, which has long been regarded as the symbolic heartland of conservatives and almost always seen an easy win by conservative politicians.Despite expecting to take the conservative stronghold, Kim and the DPK are now less able to assure a win.During campaigning, Kim, a former prime minister and longtime political heavyweight in Daegu, argued that the election was about more than his own political future.“This election is about more than electing me,” Kim said. “If we fail once again to revive Daegu’s economy and prepare opportunities for our sons and daughters, what future can we offer them?” he said, implying previous mayors of the city — almost all from the PPP — have failed to revitalize the regional economy.Kim argued that closer cooperation with the central government could help move regional projects forward.The ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Daegu mayoral candidate, Kim Boo-kyum, greets campaign workers at Beomeo Intersection in Daegu on the first day of the official campaign period for the June 3 local elections, Thursday. YonhapChoo, however, is rapidly catching up, after early support for Kim brought up growing concerns in conservative circles over potentially losing the city’s political identity amid the broader strength of the ruling party nationwide. Choo has increasingly framed the race around conservative consolidation, arguing that Daegu should remain a conservative city. The former deputy prime minister and finance minister has also emphasized his experience in economic policymaking.“Having served as deputy prime minister, I will answer the call to revive Daegu’s economy with results,” Choo said. “I will prove the economic competence of conservatives in Daegu.”Choo’s appeal to conservative voters was highlighted by former President Park Geun-hye’s return to the campaign trail.Park, who represented a Daegu constituency in the National Assembly for parts of five terms, joined Choo’s campaign rally at Chilseong Market in northern Daegu on Saturday. It marked Park’s first participation in a election campaign since her impeachment in 2017 over a massive corruption scandal.As she walked through the market with Choo, hundreds of supporters and shoppers gathered, with some chanting “President Park Geun-hye,” proving her enduring popularity in the city. “Seeing how warmly people welcomed me, I felt sorry that I had not come earlier, but I was also grateful,” she said. “I heard the economy is difficult, so I wanted to offer at least some comfort,” she said, endorsing Choo’s economic credentials.Choi Eun-seok, spokesperson for Choo’s campaign committee, said the movement unfolding in Daegu was “not merely conservative consolidation, but the coming together of Daegu citizens.”Choo later linked Park’s support to broader conservative unity.“Daegu is the last stronghold,” he said during a rally. “I will stop the DPK wave and win.”Regarding Park’s appearance with Choo, Kim said, “It seems candidate Choo must be feeling some pressure ... If they keep talking only about conservative unity, then who is going to revive Daegu’s economy?”The KBS-Korea Research surveys of 800 Daegu voters were each conducted from April 27 to 29, May 4 to 6 and May 16 to 20 via wireless telephone interviews. The latest survey had a response rate of 19.2 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.