Position Stated at Emergency Press Conference
"No Pride of Daegu in the Rendering"
Taehun Lee, Mayor of Dalseo District in Daegu, who is expected to run for Daegu Mayor in next year’s local elections, urged on October 13, “The design plan for the new Daegu City Hall is a mess,” and called for the immediate suspension of the project.
On this day, Mayor Lee held an emergency press conference, stating, “The new Daegu City Hall should not be just another government office. It must be a historic building that embodies Daegu’s pride and the spirit of its citizens. The standard should not be administrative convenience, but the dreams of the citizens.” He added, “If the new city hall project continues as it is, Daegu will lose a golden opportunity to restore its status as one of the nation’s top three cities.”
Mayor Lee continued, “The choice made by 2.4 million Daegu citizens, that noble intention, is being distorted. Six years ago, after a series of public discussions, Daegu citizens chose the site of the old water treatment plant in Duryu Park. This choice was not simply about building another administrative facility, but about using the redevelopment of the 500,000-pyeong Duryu Park as an opportunity to revive Daegu’s declining spirit and create a new leap toward the city’s future.”
However, he pointed out that the publicly released design plan for the new city hall is heading in a completely different direction from the aspirations of the citizens, stating that instead of becoming a “historic landmark that instills pride in citizens,” it is being reduced to a “generic administrative building with a large space.”
Mayor Lee said, “The current design plan cannot become the face of Daegu. The rendering released on September 17 was nothing but disappointing. Neither the height, nor the design, nor the symbolism captures any meaning. Nowhere is the spirit or pride of Daegu visible.” He added, “If this continues, Daegu will simply end up with another typical government building, no different from the Busan City Hall built 28 years ago.”
According to Mayor Lee, although the new city hall may attract some attention as a new building at first, in 10, 20, or 30 years it will be overshadowed by the high-rise buildings that will inevitably spring up around it, becoming just another unremarkable structure. He noted that 28-story apartment buildings have already been built near the 139-meter-high Geumbongsan, and the sites of six nearby middle and high schools will almost certainly be developed into high-rises in the future.
Taehun Lee stressed, “This is an insult to the citizens of Daegu. We must not allow Daegu’s future to be shaped in such a careless and ordinary way.” He emphasized, “The new city hall must be a symbolic building that establishes the spirit of Daegu. It should not be just an administrative building, but a monument that embodies the city’s spirit.”
Taehun Lee, Mayor of Dalseo District, said, “The current height of 24 stories is far too insignificant to represent the identity of Daegu’s citizens. It should be at least 28 stories, and if possible, 33 or even 56 stories, incorporating symbolic numbers that represent Daegu’s spirit, and the design must also be changed. We live in an era where a single building can represent an entire city. Without a landmark building, Daegu is being overrun by apartment complexes and mixed-use buildings. At a time like this, we must capture Daegu’s proud identity, such as the spirit of freedom from the 2·28 Movement, the patriotism of the National Debt Repayment Movement, and the pioneering spirit of modernization.”
Mayor Lee further stated, “Only when the new city hall becomes a landmark building that embodies Daegu’s spirit will it have a story and instill pride in the hearts of citizens. Ultimately, this will make people want to show it to outsiders, and it will become a new tourist attraction that draws both domestic and international visitors. In the future, it should harmonize with Duryu Park, which aspires to become the Central Park of New York through a major redevelopment, and become a new growth engine for Daegu.”
Mayor Lee urged, “Daegu City must stop now. This is the stage where the design process is just beginning based on the contest submissions. If the direction is wrong, it must be halted and a new plan must be found. Administrative procedures should never take precedence over giving the new city hall the identity that citizens want.”
Taehun Lee, Mayor of Dalseo District, declared, “The new city hall must not only serve as a space for administrative work, but also symbolize the soul of Daegu. Daegu is the city of the 2·28 Freedom Movement, the city of patriotism through the National Debt Repayment Movement, and the vanguard of modernization. Such a city should not build its new city hall in a bland and uninspired way.” He concluded, “The design rendering for the new city hall must be redrawn or drastically revised.”
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