[6.3 Election] Jeongseon Lee, Haeryong Kim, Dugab Go Announce Unification... Kang Sukyoung to Run Independently

Strategic Maneuvering Intensifies in the Race for First Special Superintendent

Three-Way Contest Takes Shape with 40 Days Left Until Election

The special superintendent election for the integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju region is becoming increasingly volatile as alliances and splits among candidates accelerate. Following the surprise unification declaration by Jeongseon Lee, Haeryong Kim, and Dugab Go, candidate Kang Sukyoung announced her intention to run independently, reshaping the race into a complex three-way contest.

According to the local education community on April 21, the briefing room at the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education saw major candidates take divergent steps that could determine the outcome of the special superintendent election earlier that morning.

Jeongseon Lee, Haeryong Kim, and Dugab Ko are holding hands and conducting a joint press conference after signing the unification agreement. Photo by Peace Broadcasting

Previously, Jeongseon Lee, Haeryong Kim, and Dugab Go held a joint press conference and reached a dramatic agreement to select a single unified candidate based solely on polling results. The three candidates also committed that, if elected, they would establish a 'joint administration,' working together from the transition committee stage to review organizational restructuring and budget direction.

The backdrop to this unification agreement lies in the practical barrier of vote share. Given the nature of wide-area elections, candidates who fail to secure more than 15% of the vote cannot have their campaign expenses reimbursed. This has led to the judgment that consolidating forces is essential, rather than having too many candidates fragment the vote.

In contrast, at 11 a.m. on the same day and at the same venue, candidate Kang Sukyoung held a press conference and officially declared both her refusal to unify and her intention to complete the race independently. Kang made it clear that she would not participate in the current unification trend, expressing her determination to focus on communicating her independent policy vision to voters.

As a result, the election has now formed into three main camps fiercely vying for victory: candidate Kim Daejung, the current Jeonnam Superintendent of Education; the 'unification group' of Jeongseon Lee, Haeryong Kim, and Dugab Go; and the teachers' union-affiliated candidates, Seonghong Jung and Gwanho Jang, who are themselves pursuing unification.

With just over 40 days remaining until the election, each candidate is staking everything on consolidating support to become the first-ever superintendent of 'integrated metropolitan education.' As the campaign heads toward its final stages, variables such as further candidate unifications or new alliances are expected to persist.

In particular, whether Kang Sukyoung, who has so far chosen to stay independent, will alter her stance in response to any shifts in the race during the remainder of the campaign, or whether she will maintain her independent course to the end, is emerging as another focal point in this special superintendent election.

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