Daegu, once a key player in South Korea's industrialization through textiles, machinery, and metals, has faced prolonged stagnation and youth outmigration as industrial focus shifted to the capital region. In recent local elections, elected Mayor Choo Kyung-ho acknowledged this reality, emphasizing that Daegu's economy remains centered on small and medium-sized enterprises in materials, parts, and equipment sectors. He argues a 'Daegu Economic Transformation' is necessary to change the industrial structure itself. His vision includes making Daegu a central city for AI, semiconductors, and robotics by attracting Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix semiconductor factories, Tesla's second Asian factory, and HD Hyundai Robotics' research and development campus. The core of his plan is attracting mega-corporations to fundamentally change the industrial structure, viewing Daegu's challenges as structural industrial problems rather than merely an economic downturn.