Progressive candidates take 10 out of 16 provincial superintendent races

Progressive candidates won 10 of the 16 metropolitan and provincial education superintendent races, with conservatives taking the other six.

The outcome, reported by the National Election Commission on Thursday morning, falls short of the 2018 election, remembered as the high-water mark for progressive superintendents, when they won 14 seats to the conservatives' three. 

Balance started to tilt in 2022 as eight conservative superintendents and nine progressive superintendents were elected.

Exit polls by the three major broadcasters, released right after voting ended Wednesday, had projected as few as three conservative winners, but the actual count produced more.

Progressives swept the three education offices in greater Seoul, covering Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon, which together account for about half of the country's students.

In Seoul, incumbent Superintendent Jung Keun-sik finished first among eight candidates, with 99 percent of the vote counted as of 11:40 a.m. Thursday. But he had 30.4 percent of the votes, which is the lowest winning share in any Seoul superintendent race since direct elections began in 2008. 

"Basic academic skills, mental health and the protection of teachers' rights are all tasks that cannot be taken lightly," Jung Keun-sik said. "I take to heart the hope that Seoul's education will continue without wavering."

In Gyeonggi, which has the largest student population in the country, An Min-suk, a former five-term lawmaker who ran as the single progressive candidate, won with 52.81 percent. An defeated conservative incumbent Yim Tae-hee, who took 47.2 percent. It was the first time a sitting superintendent lost in Gyeonggi. 

In Incheon, incumbent Do Seong-hoon won a third term with 36.4 percent, edging conservative Lee Dae-hyung.

In Busan, Kim Seok-joon won with 50.6 percent to become the country's first four-term education superintendent. Progressive challengers also unseated conservative incumbents in Gangwon, where Kang Sam-young won with 41.5 percent of votes, and Jeju, where Ko Eui-sook had 48.1 percent. In South Chungcheong and Ulsan, where the incumbents did not run, progressives Lee Byung-do and Cho Yong-sik won with 30.6 percent and 39.2 percent.

In the first race for a combined Gwangju-South Jeolla superintendent, where two progressive incumbents faced off, former South Jeolla superintendent Kim Dae-jung won with 42.5 percent. In North Jeolla, where two progressive candidates competed, Cheon Ho-seong won with 56.6 percent.

Six of the 10 progressive winners are former teachers from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU). Do Seong-hoon, Cho Yong-sik, Kang Sam-young, Lee Byung-do, Ko Eui-sook and Kim Dae-jung all served as heads of KTU chapters or branches.

Among conservatives, Kwon Soon-ki won South Gyeongsang with 38.59 percent in a tight race. His progressive rival Song Young-ki took 38.1 percent, with the result confirmed around 10 a.m.

In Daejeon, conservative Oh Seok-jin came from behind to win with 27.5 percent over progressive Seong Gwang-jin. In Sejong, centrist-conservative Kang Mi-ae took 36.3 percent to become the city's first woman education superintendent.

In all three regions, progressive candidates ran without uniting behind a single contender.

Three conservative incumbents won new terms: Kang Eun-hee in Daegu, Lim Jong-sik in North Gyeongsang and Yoon Geon-young in North Chungcheong.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM MIN-SANG, LEE BO-RAM [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]