The election was held to fill the vacancy left by former superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, who stepped down in August after receiving a suspended sentence for abuse of power. Cho, who served since 2014, was known for his liberal educational reforms.
Running as the unified progressive candidate, Jung promised to carry forward key policies initiated by his predecessor, including innovative measures to grant more rights to schools and students.
Addressing concerns over declining academic performance, Jung pledged to strengthen educational infrastructure and provide specialized support for students facing challenges like basic skills deficiencies, borderline intelligence, dyslexia, and dyscalculia.
This election marked Jung's historic achievement as the second candidate for the post to win more than 50 percent of the vote. The first was Moon Yong-rin, a conservative who secured 54.17 percent in the 2012 election.
"I thought it would be better for my kids if Seoul maintains its course with key education policies. A change in polices would create big confusion for both students and parents," said Cheon, a mother of three elementary school children, outside a polling station in eastern Seoul.
Meanwhile, in other areas, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the opposition Democratic Party (DP) both retained seats in their respective strongholds. The PPP won in Busan's Geumjeong district and Incheon's Ganghwa county, while the DP secured victories in Yeonggwang county and Gokseong county in South Jeolla Province.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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