'Early Voting Hits Record Low' Seoul Superintendent of Education Election Day... Final Winner Revealed

10 AM Voter Turnout at 3.1%
Early Voting Rate at Historic Low of 8% Range
Candidates' Final Campaigning Until the Day Before
Voting Conducted Until 8 PM

The main election for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent and four local government heads (Busan Geumjeong-gu, Incheon Ganghwa-gun, Jeonnam Yeonggwang and Gokseong-gun) will be held simultaneously on the 16th. With the early voting for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent, elected for a term of 1 year and 8 months, recording the lowest turnout in history, it is difficult to predict who will become the leader responsible for Seoul's education.

On this day, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., the main voting for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent will take place throughout Seoul. Voting is only possible at designated polling stations based on the resident registration address. This election is a three-way race between the progressive candidate Jeong Geun-sik and conservative candidates Jo Jeon-hyeok and Yoon Ho-sang.

Until the night before, the candidates conducted final campaigns across various locations. Candidate Jo, who held his last campaign at Gangnam Station, an area known as a "conservative stronghold" with a dense young population, emphasized, "The opportunity has come to change the dark Seoul education of the past 10 years," and added, "Due to the illegal acts of former Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon, 56 billion won of precious taxes that should have been used for our children disappeared." He continued, "I will raise the level of public education to create an educational environment that satisfies students, teachers, and parents alike," and expressed, "I will make schools where children's laughter never stops, education without worries about private tutoring costs, and a Seoul that is good for raising children."

Candidate Jeong, who concluded his campaign in front of the Gwanghwamun History Museum, stated, "This election signifies the complete unification of the democratic progressive camp," and emphasized, "We must now make our students lovable individuals who are not excluded by anyone and who can proudly love the Earth, the Republic of Korea, and Seoul."

At the same time, candidate Yoon, who held his final campaign in front of Myeongdong Cathedral, declared, "I will definitely create schools that students want to attend and classrooms where they want to stay," and promised, "If I become the superintendent, I will surely create 'schools with warm evening meals'." He reiterated his pledges including ▲ establishment of 25 24-hour emergency care centers ▲ full implementation of elementary school Neulbom classrooms ▲ placement of top instructors for after-school programs and provision of evening meals.

However, public interest in this election is low, making the outcome difficult to predict. The early voting rate for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent by-election held on the 11th and 12th was 8.28%, the lowest since the early voting system was introduced in 2014. Previous media polls showed a close race between candidates Jeong and Jo.

Since the main voting is held on a weekday rather than a holiday, the turnout is also expected to be low. As of 10 a.m., the voter turnout for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent election was 3.1%. Out of 8,321,972 eligible voters in Seoul, 255,390 had voted. Early voting, along with absentee voting, will be included in the turnout rate released from 1 p.m.

Counting will begin immediately after the voting ends. The newly elected superintendent will report to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 17th and hold an inauguration ceremony.