Koh leads superintendent race

Seoul education superintendent candidates Koh Seung-duk, left, and Moon Yong-lin, right, speak during a joint TV debate at the Korea Broadcasting System (KBS) studios in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap

By Yi Whan-woo

Former lawmaker Koh Seung-duk is capitalizing on his high public profile to get ahead in a four-way race for the top education post in Seoul in the run-up to the June 4 local elections.

In a country obsessed with education, Koh, 56, also a lawyer, is widely respected for having passed state-run exams for law, diplomacy and public administration in his 20s.

And he is ahead of two conservative-minded opponents ― Moon Yong-lin and Rhee Sang-myon ― as well as liberal-minded contender Cho Hee-yeon in the race for Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

Koh leads Moon 25.6 percent to 16.4 percent in a poll conducted by Korea Gallup from Monday to Wednesday last week. Lee garnered 9 percent support, followed by Cho with 6.6 percent in the same survey with a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

Critics say that Koh’s popularity has boosted him to win support from voters regardless of their political affiliations although he served as a lawmaker for the conservative Saenuri Party between 2008 and 2012.

Analysts also said he is benefitting from pursuing a low-key election campaign in the wake of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16.

“The candidates have toned down their campaign efforts as the nation remains in mourning following the sinking of the Sewol ferry,” said Shin Yul, a professor at the department of political science at Myongji University. “As a result, most of the candidates do not have a chance to promote themselves. And such conditions have been favorable for Moon.”

Another expert echoed a similar view.

“Voters care less about the candidates for the education chief in their respective area because they also have to choose mayors as well as members of the local government councils in this election,” said Bae Jong-chan, the chief director at Research & Research, a pollster specialized in political surveys.

“Koh is already well-known to the people so that they will support him without thinking too much.

“It does not matter that Ko did not build his career in the education field as much as other candidates.”

Koh serves as a professor at Seoul Cyber University that offers college-level education online.

Moon is in his bid to retain his seat as the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education since 2012. He also served as an education minister.

Rhee was a former law professor at Seoul National University.

Cho, a professor at SungKongHoe University, also serves as the chief of the group comprised of liberal-minded professors across the country.