Jeongseon Lee (center), a preliminary candidate for the Superintendent of Education for Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeollanam-do, held a press conference on the morning of the 7th at the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education with former preliminary candidates Dugap Go and Haeryong Kim to raise allegations of gambling against preliminary candidate Daejung Kim. Photo provided by the candidate's side

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On this day, the united front of Lee Jungseon, Kim Haeryong, and Go Dugap held a press conference and raised so-called 'gambling allegations' against Daejung Kim, candidate for Superintendent of Education for Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Metropolitan City. At the press conference, sensational terms such as 'illegal casino' and 'illegal gambling den' were repeatedly used.

The campaign of Kim Daejung, candidate for the integrated superintendent of education in Gwangju, Jeonnam, has indicated a zero-tolerance legal response to allegations of gambling against candidate Lee Jungseon. Provided by the candidate's side

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The campaign of Daejung Kim immediately issued a statement in response, strongly opposing the allegations as "a clear slander and a malicious negative attack intended to drag the superintendent election into the mud."

According to the campaign's explanation, the core location at the center of the allegations was a hotel facility that was used as accommodation during a business trip. The campaign refuted the portrayal of this as if Kim had frequented an illegal gambling den, calling it "serious defamation that crosses the line and a clear spread of false information."

In particular, the campaign emphasized that Kim had already issued a public apology to city and provincial residents several days prior regarding this matter. The campaign insisted that the issue, for which Kim had already taken moral responsibility and apologized first, was being raised again by opponents to stir up the election.

The campaign made it clear they would not back down, stating, "We will respond with zero tolerance and pursue strong legal action against the spreading of false information and defamation." There is also the possibility that the application of Article 250 (Crime of Publicizing False Facts) and Article 251 (Crime of Slandering Candidates) of the Public Official Election Act will be reviewed.

The united front's concentrated morality offensive at the end of the election is seen as a typical campaign tactic intended to sway voter sentiment in a short period of time. However, the problem is that, in the process, sensational expressions that have not been sufficiently fact-checked are being used, resulting in serious damage to the candidate's reputation.

Such concerns were already being felt in the educational field. From the early stages of the election, the education community had noted that there was more of a sense of caution about overheated competition than a festive mood. But as the election entered its final stages, these concerns became reality.

There is a shared view, both inside and outside the education sector, that elections for superintendent should focus on substantive education agendas, such as the educational philosophy of school sites, guaranteeing the learning rights of local students, and the direction of teacher policy. However, as the morality controversy has come to dominate the election, policy comparisons that voters need to know have been pushed to the background.

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Voices of concern are rising in civil society as well. Parent B from Gwangju said, "Groundless slander will only leave scars on city and provincial residents and the education community," appealing, "Even just for the remainder of the election period, please stop the wasteful mudslinging and return to a competition of policies for the future of Gwangju-Jeonnam education."

According to local political circles, as the election heats up and the standards for scrutiny become sharper, voter attention may shift to candidate risks in addition to policy pledges. If the negative campaigning leads to legal action, the intensity of the election is expected to increase even further.

With about 27 days left until the June 3 local elections, the biggest turning point to decide the first ever superintendent for Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Metropolitan City is approaching. Attention is now focused on whether the candidates will be able to compete based on policies during the remaining election period.

No relation to the content of the article. Getty Images Bank

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