Former broadcasting watchdog chief Lee Jin-sook drops out of Daegu mayoral race after PPP exclusion

SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jin-sook, a former broadcasting watchdog chief under ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, said Saturday she would not run for the Daegu mayorship after being excluded from the main opposition People Power Party's (PPP) primary. The former head of the Korea Media and Communications Commission has left open the option of running as an independent candidate in the June 3 local elections since her exclusion from the party's nomination process about a month ago. The party cited the need to nominate a candidate with economic expertise rather than political experience to revive the economy of the declining metropolitan city. Lee is known for her political ties to the disgraced former president. "I am stepping down as a preliminary candidate for Daegu mayor," she said during a press conference at the party's office in Daegu, some 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul. "I will back the party's nominee, once selected in the primary tomorrow, to defeat the Democratic Party contender." Lee called the nomination committee's decision "unfair" but said concerns about a potential victory of the ruling Democratic Party in the conservative stronghold ultimately kept her out of the race. Her announcement ended a monthlong feud over the nomination process, following a similar decision two days earlier by Rep. Joo Ho-young, another excluded preliminary contender who announced he would not run. Last week, the PPP narrowed its field of six preliminary candidates to two finalists: Reps. Choo Kyung-ho and Yoo Yeong-ha. Both finalists issued statements respecting Lee's decision and pledging victory. "This election is about reviving Daegu's stagnant economy and restoring a shaken democracy," Choo said in a statement. "We will respond with an overwhelming victory in Daegu and a confident rebuilding of the conservative bloc." In a separate statement, Yoo called for unity over internal conflict. "We must now join forces as one," Yoo said. "We will go beyond division toward integration and secure victory with united strength, not fragmentation." The PPP will select its final candidate Sunday, concluding the primary with a combined vote of party members and a public opinion poll.