Lee Jin-sook, a former chair of the Korea Communications Commission, held a press conference on the 23rd to express her frustration over being cut from the 국민의힘's nomination for the Daegu mayoral race. During the press event, she claimed that not only did Lee Jae-myung, a rival from the Democratic Party, wish to cut her, but now the 국민의힘 has done the same. Lee insisted that her exclusion was disrespectful to both her and her supporters after leading a recent poll with 28.2% compared to the second-place candidate's 9.5%. 

Lee challenged the 국민의힘's nomination committee to explain their decision, suggesting that it represents a betrayal to the citizens of Daegu who had expressed overwhelming support for her. She recalled how the party's leader, 장동혁, had visited Daegu to support public nominations, indicating a disconnect between the party's stated intentions and its actions regarding her candidacy. Lee expressed her disbelief that, despite having strong local backing, decisions are being made at a central level that dismiss local sentiments. 

Concluding her appeal, Lee demanded a transparent justification for her exclusion and warned that if the nomination committee fails to reconsider their decision, both she and the citizens of Daegu will not passively accept the outcome. Her statements reflect a broader concern regarding the disconnect between party leadership decisions and grassroots support in local politics, especially in the context of regional loyalty within the 국민의힘 party.