Former Superintendent Jang Man-chae on Running for Superintendent: "I Will Announce When the Time Comes"

Jang Man-chae, former Jeonnam Superintendent of Education

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Former Jeonnam Superintendent of Education Jang Man-chae said on the 26th that regarding his intention to run in next year's provincial superintendent of education election, "This is the question I have been asked the most recently. It is true that people around me strongly recommend that I run for the superintendent election," but added, "I have never officially announced my position."

Former Superintendent Jang met with Asia Economy on the same day and said, "As I have stated several times in the media, my primary goal is to nominate a third candidate to compete against the current superintendent of education," emphasizing, "If I cannot find a third candidate, I will then announce my official position."

He stated, "Right now, the priority is to set Jeonnam education straight," and added, "To this end, I plan to launch a 'Citizens' Coalition to Save Education' with about 100,000 members."

He continued, "Currently, Jeonnam education is in a crisis. The organization has already collapsed, and numerous difficult issues need to be resolved," diagnosing, "The lowest nationwide CSAT scores and the collapse of the education organization, pointed out by education experts, are just some of the many challenges."

He also mentioned, "Children are the reason and purpose for education to exist. Education will revive only when it stays true to its reason for existence," and said, "The newly launched 'Citizens' Coalition to Save Education' will play an important role in rescuing Jeonnam education, which is facing a crisis."

He further expressed his feelings, saying, "The superintendent of education is an important position that must embrace all members of the education family, not just specific groups," but lamented, "However, current Superintendent Jang Seok-woong is only implementing biased policies for certain groups, which is regrettable."

He conveyed, "From my direct experience, Jeonnam has significantly higher trust and support for the superintendent of education compared to other cities and provinces," and added, "Nevertheless, watching the organization shake and collapse, I felt a heavy sense of responsibility."

If former Superintendent Jang officially declares his candidacy for superintendent, current Superintendent Jang Seok-woong, who was expected to perform well due to the incumbent advantage, will face unexpected difficulties. In this case, next year's provincial superintendent of education election is expected to be more competitive than ever.

Former Superintendent Jang served as president of Suncheon National University and then as the elected Jeonnam Superintendent of Education for the 1st and 2nd terms. In the 2018 local elections, he ran for Jeollanam-do governor. At that time, he reached the runoff in the Democratic Party primary but was defeated by Kim Young-rok, a former Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Later, during preparations to run for the Suncheon National Assembly seat in the 21st general election, he supported current National Assembly member So Byung-chul and withdrew midway.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.