Seoul Superintendent of Education Conservative and Moderate Candidate Jo Jeon-hyeok Selected... Concerns Over Partial Unification

Selected as sole candidate with a total score of 42.93%
Noise occurred during the elector voting process
Park Sun-young withdraws, Jo Young-dal leaves unification

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Jo Jeon-hyeok, Chairman of the Seoul Innovation and Fair Education Committee, has been selected as the unified candidate from the moderate and conservative camp for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent election in the June 1 local elections.

The Metropolitan Area Education Superintendent Candidate Unification Promotion Council (Gyochuhyeop) announced on the 30th that candidate Jo Jeon-hyeok was selected with a combined percentage score of 42.93%, based on 60% public opinion polling and 40% elector voting results.

Participants in the superintendent unification vote included Park Seon-young, head of the 21st Century Education Forum; Lee Dae-young, former Deputy Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education; Jo Jeon-hyeok, Chairman of the Seoul Innovation and Fair Education Committee; Choi Myung-bok, former Seoul City Education Council member; and Jo Young-dal, professor at Seoul National University College of Education.

During the unification voting process, 283,367 people applied to be electors, but only 13.2% (37,391 people) participated in the online vote. According to Gyochuhyeop, the process included real-name verification confirming residency in Seoul based on resident registration, and administrative district input.

However, there is a possibility that the unification may remain a "half unification" as candidates withdraw during the process. Park Seon-young, considered a strong candidate, raised allegations of fraud during the elector unification vote the day before and announced her withdrawal from the candidacy. Earlier, candidate Jo Young-dal declared on the 20th that he would not participate in the unification and hinted at the possibility of running independently. Immediately after the unification results were announced, Jo Young-dal issued a statement claiming that "the Gyochuhyeop unification is fundamentally invalid." The withdrawing candidates pointed out issues such as the inclusion of people who did not register as electors during the elector registration process and the inclusion of residents from outside Seoul.

It is also possible that multiple conservative candidates may run, as in the education superintendent election four years ago. In the 2018 local elections, Park Seon-young received 36.2% of the vote, Jo Young-dal 17.3%, losing to Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, who received 46.6%.

Candidate Jo Jeon-hyeok served as the 18th National Assembly member and was a professor at Incheon National University and Myongji University. During his time as a National Assembly member, in April 2010, he disclosed information about members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeon-gyo-jo) on his website, leading to conflicts with the union, including court rulings ordering compensation payments to Jeon-gyo-jo teachers.

Jo stated, "This result is a solemn command of the times to rebuild Seoul’s education, which has collapsed due to the unstoppable rampage of left-wing educational power, and a victory for all Seoul citizens who supported unification," adding, "I will devote myself to ensuring proper education that benefits both parents and students."

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