Former Lawmaker Lee Gunhyun Urges Public Debate for Gyeongnam Superintendent Candidate Unification, Opposes Blind Polls

Former National Assembly member Lee Gunhyun, who has declared his candidacy for Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education next year, has raised objections to the unification process among moderate and conservative candidates and is urging the implementation of a public debate.

On December 8, Lee held a press conference at the briefing room of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council, stating, "Selecting candidates solely based on the numbers from a blind opinion poll, without any policy debate, excludes the residents of the province."

He emphasized, "Since the superintendent election does not involve party nominations, voters must be able to directly hear and compare each candidate's educational philosophy, national perspective, and clear vision for the direction and goals of education in Gyeongnam."

Former National Assembly member Lee Gunhyun is raising objections to the unification public opinion poll conducted by the conservative and moderate candidates for Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education and is urging the implementation of a public debate. Photo by Lee Seryung

He added, "A public debate and candidate verification can be arranged through various channels such as YouTube and online live broadcasts," and pointed out, "Even the response from the Gyeongnam Election Commission confirmed that an online live public debate is possible without legal issues. Therefore, it is hard to understand why there is a rush to finalize only the schedule for the blind opinion poll."

He further expressed concern, saying, "This could lead residents to suspect that the process has been structured to favor a particular candidate or to avoid sufficient scrutiny. While the conservative camp should unite to enhance competitiveness, the process must be reasonable, fair, and transparent before the people."

Lee stated, "The superintendent election is not about political maneuvering, but about deciding the future of our children and selecting a leader who will be responsible for the future of their education, classrooms, and schools." He proposed, "I suggest an online broadcast of a public debate to verify each candidate’s educational philosophy, values, national perspective, vision for Gyeongnam education, morality, and qualifications."

Currently, the unification coalition of conservative and moderate candidates for Gyeongnam Superintendent of Education includes eight participants: Kwon Soonki, former president of Gyeongsang National University; Kwon Jintaek, former president of Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology; Kim Sangkwon, former director of education at the Gyeongnam Office of Education; Kim Seungo, former education administrator at the Blue House; Kim Younggon, former deputy minister at the Ministry of Education; Lee Gunhyun, former National Assembly member; Choi Byunghun, former director of school policy at the Gyeongnam Office of Education; and Choi Haebeom, former president of Changwon National University.

The coalition plans to narrow the field to four candidates through the first round of a provincial ARS (Automated Response System) opinion poll over two days starting December 10, and then select the final unified candidate in a second opinion poll. However, if more than two-thirds of the four candidates who pass the first round agree, the details such as the schedule may be adjusted.

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