Progressive Camp's Gyeongnam Superintendent Unification to Be Decided Through a Two-Candidate Primary

Pledge to Form a Joint Election Headquarters with the Final Candidate in Case of Defeat

The unified progressive candidate for Gyeongnam superintendent in the 9th nationwide local elections is scheduled to be selected next month.

The Gyeongnam Citizens' Coalition to Make Good Superintendents, the progressive camp's body promoting unification for the Gyeongnam superintendent election, held a press conference on the 25th in the briefing room of the Gyeongnam Office of Education and announced the schedule and plans for selecting a unified candidate.

The Coalition stated, "We pledge to hold a primary in which the residents of the province are the true owners and to conduct a dignified contest based on policy, and we will surely win with united strength."

The progressive camp's Gyeongnam superintendent candidate unification body 'Joeun Gyoyukgam Mandeulgi Gyeongnam Siminyeondae' announced the unified primary and held a joint pledge ceremony. Reporter Lee Seryeong

The Coalition will hold a candidate primary by introducing a "Provincial Residents Nomination System" in which Gyeongnam residents directly participate.

The results will be reflected in the following proportions: 50% from the Workers Nomination Group composed of members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, 30% from the Citizens Nomination Group, and 20% from opinion polls.

The Citizens Nomination Group, which will include youth as key stakeholders in education, aims to recruit up to 70,000 people, and a registration fee of 3,000 won per person will be charged to join the electoral college.

Eligible youth members are middle and high school students and out-of-school youth born before 2013 who are under 18 years of age, and there is no separate registration fee for them.

In addition, starting from March 13, the Coalition will hold at least two to three live debate sessions broadcast on YouTube.

Through these debates, it plans to verify each candidate's vision and philosophy and present to the residents of the province the joint education policies that will be pursued steadfastly even after the election.

Joeun Gyoyukgam Mandeulgi Gyeongnam Siminyeondae, a progressive camp unification body for Gyeongnam superintendent candidates, held a unification primary announcement and joint pledge ceremony attended by pre-candidate Song Younggi, head of Forum, People and Education (third from left), and Jeon Changhyun, former Education Activity Protection Officer at the Gyeongnam Office of Education (second from left). Photo by Lee Seryeong

The joint pledge ceremony for the unified primary, held at the press conference venue on this day, was attended by prospective candidate Song Younggi, representative of "Forum, People and Education," and Jeon Changhyun, former head of the Office for Protection of Educational Activities at the Gyeongnam Office of Education.

Former Jisu Middle School principal Kim Junsik, who had participated in the unification discussions, did not express his intention to accept the primary proposal suggested by the Coalition and therefore did not take part in the unified primary.

The pledge includes the following: strict adherence to the primary rules; prohibition of slander against opponents during the primary; respect for the decisions of the Nomination Management Committee in the event of rule violations or irregularities; agreement with the Coalition's primary methods and procedures; acceptance of the primary results; immediate withdrawal as a prospective candidate in the event of primary defeat and cooperation by forming a joint election campaign headquarters with the final unified candidate; and conclusion of a joint education policy agreement during the unification process and implementation of the pledges after election.

The Coalition is composed of figures including Kim Eunhyung, head of the Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Lee Byungha, standing representative of the Gyeongnam Progressive Alliance, Lee Yoonki, president of Gyeongnam YMCA, Choi Yeonsim, head of the Gyeongnam branch of the Chamgyoyuk Parents Association, and representatives of civic groups in Gyeongnam Province.

The Coalition plans to recruit members for the Provincial Residents Nomination Group from March 6 to 18 and to finalize the single unified candidate on March 30 of the same month.