Former Vice Chair Jeong Seung-yoon of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission registered as a candidate for the 4·2 Busan Superintendent of Education re-election on the 14th.
Candidate Jeong met with reporters in front of the Busan Election Commission and expressed his determination, saying, "I will protect education in Busan alongside the citizens of Busan." He commented on the progressive candidate Kim Seok-jun, who registered the day before, saying, "With a heavy heart, I convey this to the citizens" and added, "I cannot entrust our children to forces that especially favor teachers from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union who praised North Korea and Kim Il-sung."
He noted, "Candidate Kim is on trial for allegedly having appointed four dismissed teachers from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union's unification school as special hiring candidates during his tenure as Busan Superintendent of Education, and for causing public officials in charge of personnel at the education office to conduct special hiring disguised as open competition, thereby engaging in unnecessary activities." He added, "The specially appointed teachers were sentenced to a suspended prison term for teaching modern assistance history that praises Kim Il-sung and the Communist Party after opening a unification school in October 2005, and their sentences were confirmed in February 2013."
The candidate registration for the Busan Superintendent of Education re-election, which took place over two days starting on the 13th, has concluded, narrowing the race to a "three-way contest" involving Kim Seok-jun, Choi Yoon-hong, and Jeong Seung-yoon. The previous day, Choi Yoon-hong, Busan Deputy Superintendent of Education from the center-right camp, and former Busan Superintendent of Education Kim Seok-jun from the progressive camp completed their candidate registration.
With a conservative-progressive divide forming a 2-to-1 structure, the possibility of unification among candidates from the center-right camp is seen as a major variable. Candidates Jeong and Choi agree on the necessity of unification, but they are unable to narrow their differences as each demands concessions from the other.
They are conducting practical negotiations for unification, but only confirmed their general position of "supporting unification." Specific directions for unification have reportedly not been discussed. Candidates Jeong and Choi plan to continue negotiations for unification right up until the day before voting to ensure victory for the center-right camp.
The official election campaign period for the Busan Superintendent of Education is from the 20th to the day before voting on the 1st of next month. Early voting will take place on the 28th and 29th from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the election will be held on the 2nd of next month.