Daejeon Superintendent Candidate Seokjin Oh Launches Petition Against 'Educational Integration'

Seven Declared Candidates for Daejeon and South Chungcheong Superintendent Call for Election to Begin with Next Local Elections
Seokjin Oh, Kim Youngjin, Sung Kwangjin, Lee Byungdo, Lee Gunpyo, Cho Gihan, and Jin Donggyu Among the Seven

Seokjin Oh, Former Director of Education Bureau at Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education

As the ruling Democratic Party of Korea leads the push for a special law on the administrative integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, which includes provisions for the election of a unified superintendent of education, opposition to the move is growing.

Seokjin Oh, former Director of the Education Bureau at the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education and a declared candidate for Daejeon superintendent of education, announced on January 21 that he would launch a petition against the integration of educational administration, stating, "Education cannot be a subsidiary of politics or administration."

This is the first time an opposition petition targeting Daejeon citizens has been launched in the Daejeon area.

Former Director Oh emphasized, "This critical issue of integrating educational administration is being discussed without sufficient input from Daejeon citizens, South Chungcheong Province residents, and those in the educational field, let alone any social consensus. Education is not just a department of administration or a policy tool for efficiency; it is a value directly protected by the Constitution and a promise our society must keep for our children."

He further argued, "If the integration of educational administration is decided without the participation of parents and local residents, who are the true stakeholders in education, the harm will inevitably fall on the children. In education, local responsibility is more important than broad efficiency, and the diversity of each individual child must be respected over uniform standards."

People can participate in the petition against educational integration through the Naver form titled 'Sign Against the Integration of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Educational Administration.'

Meanwhile, a group of seven declared candidates for superintendent of education in Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, including Seokjin Oh (Kim Youngjin, Sung Kwangjin, Lee Byungdo, Lee Gunpyo, Cho Gihan, and Jin Donggyu), have requested that the Democratic Party's Daejeon-South Chungcheong Integration and Chungcheong Regional Development Special Committee specify in the special integration law that the unified superintendent of education will be elected starting from the next local elections.