Another Conservative-Centrist Unification Body for Gyeongnam Superintendent Election Launched ... Citizens' Council for the Nomination of a Good Superintendent Candidate in Gyeongnam

With the Gyeongnam superintendent of education election coming up in June, another organization has emerged to promote the unification of conservative and centrist candidates.

The 'Citizens' Council for the Nomination of a Good Superintendent Candidate in Gyeongnam' held a press conference at the provincial council briefing room on the 22nd to announce its official launch.

The council pointed out, "After the first public opinion poll was released by the existing conservative and centrist candidate unification coalition at the end of last year, many prospective candidates who had hoped to run have refused to accept the results, and have since declared that they will not participate in any future schedules organized by the unification body."

They continued, "For the past 12 years, education in Gyeongnam has been trapped by ideology and has failed to fulfill its duty of political neutrality, leading to distrust among residents. With urgent issues such as academic achievement at the lowest level nationwide, school violence, and infringement of teachers' rights piling up, there is a strong desire among residents to elect a superintendent who prioritizes the essence of education and restore the stature of Gyeongnam education."

They added, "In response to these demands of the times, citizens' councils for the nomination of good superintendent candidates are already operating in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province." They announced four operational directions: ▲pursuing political neutrality ▲leading the formation of a culture of less expensive elections ▲operating a transparent verification system ▲ensuring democracy through participation.

The 'Citizens' Council for the Nomination of a Good Superintendent Candidate in Gyeongnam' is announcing its official launch at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council briefing room. Photo by Lee Seryung

The council stated, "We will stipulate political neutrality in our regulations, select neutral figures as moderators for debates, and comply with election laws to realize constitutional values and ensure fairness."

They also said, "To ensure democratic decision-making, we will introduce a co-representative system that includes women, university student associations, and youth organizations, guarantee opportunities for participation by various groups, and discuss with candidate councils and on the method of nomination to select the most suitable candidate."

They promised to build online platforms such as YouTube, blogs, and social networking services (SNS) to provide information on candidate backgrounds, each candidate's vision, education policies for each candidate including answers to common questions, and candidate-specific promotional sections. They also pledged to minimize offline events, reduce costs by promoting debates and surveys online, and disclose financial status.

They plan to provide information such as real-time broadcasts of educational policy debates on YouTube, posting of debate recordings on the platform, surveys, and answers to common questions.

It has been reported that some prospective candidates who were either eliminated from or declared non-participation in the previous unification body have expressed their intention to participate in the council.

Notable participants include 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 educational administrator at the Blue House; and Kim Younggon, former assistant vice minister at the Ministry of Education.

Shim Jaeso, the standing representative, said, "If the council proceeds as planned, it will contribute to the formation of a culture of less expensive elections and enable the selection of candidates with the necessary qualities and capabilities through a transparent verification system. Through this, increased resident participation that guarantees democracy will foster a trustworthy educational environment."

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