Progressives sweep education superintendent races

Seoul education superintendent candidate Jung Geun-sik celebrates with supporters at his campaign office in Seoul's Jongno District after his victory was confirmed, Thursday. Courtesy of Jung's election office

Progressive candidates dominated the education superintendent races, which were part of Wednesday's local elections, tilting the balance of power among the country's education chiefs in their favor.

In Seoul, incumbent superintendent Jung Geun-sik was reelected in a crowded race among eight candidates, along with other progressive incumbents in Incheon and Busan. Busan winner Kim Seok-jun secured a fourth consecutive term, claiming a record tenure in the country. Gyeonggi Province saw progressive candidate Ahn Min-seok swoop in to take office. Progressives now hold 10 of 16 superintendent positions for the next four years.

Conservatives won races in six constituencies including conservative strongholds Daegu, North and South Gyeongsang Provinces, as well as Sejong, Daejeon and North Chungcheong. Daegu winner Kang Eun-hee has become the city’s first female superintendent, clinching her third consecutive term. Sejong winner Kang Mi-ae also became the city’s first female education chief.

The overall outcome has shifted the country’s demography of education chiefs toward progressives, changing the landscape that comprised nine progressives and eight conservatives. Gyeonggi, Gangwon, South Chungcheong and Jeju Island saw their conservative incumbents lose to their progressive contenders.

The total number of constituencies this year was reduced by one with the merging of Gwangju Metropolitan City and South Jeolla Province. Kim Dae-jung became an inaugural superintendent for the merged constituency with a total population of over 3.2 million.

Although superintendent candidates do not receive official party endorsements and run without party affiliation on the ballot, the results largely mirrored the mayoral and gubernatorial races that took place on the same day.

Candidates from the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) won 12 out of 16 offices. Except in Seoul, progressive superintendent candidates fell short in the regions where DPK candidates lost — Daegu, North and South Gyeongsang Provinces.

Conservative candidate Kang Mi-ae, center, celebrates her victory in the Sejong education superintendent race with supporters at her campaign office, Thursday. Kang became the city's first female education chief. Courtesy of Kang's election office

The candidates’ campaigns also reflected similar themes pushed by the political parties they share an ideology with. Seoul winner Jung, for example, pledged to strengthen constitutional education and education related to democratic values while calling for accountability for those who threatened democracy, apparently referring to the 2024 martial law declaration by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol and the conservative main opposition People Power Party.

“Although this was an education election, voting was not determined by evaluations of education policy. Instead, it resembled gubernatorial and mayoral elections where political ideology played a much larger role,” said Cho Sang-sik, a professor of education at Dongguk University.

In this year’s superintendent election, the age of candidates also drew attention. Their average age of 63 was higher than the candidates in the mayoral and gubernatorial elections, which was 58 to 61. When a total of 75 candidates had registered in April, 71 percent were in their 60s, while 8 percent are their 70s. The youngest were two Sejong candidates both aged 50.

The age skew reflects structural barriers. Qualification conditions include at least three years of teaching or school administration experience, while active teachers are barred from running. These conditions exclude younger hopefuls from joining the race, and the need to build name recognition among voters to mount a viable campaign further favors those with decades of experience.

The elected candidates’ impending new terms must tackle key issues such as adopting artificial intelligence (AI) into educational curriculum materials. While most candidates pledged to expand AI-related education and infrastructure, experts questioned whether they have a clear vision for how AI should shape learning.

“Most candidates emphasized building AI education systems and infrastructure during the campaign. But in focusing on competitiveness, they often failed to explain the broader educational values behind those policies,” said Lee Jae-mook, a political science professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Reducing academic competition and addressing the country’s hierarchical structure surrounding high schools and the college admission system is another thorny issue. School violence, now more pronounced in elementary schools than middle and high schools, was another topic stressed by the candidates during their campaign.