**Summary**
Progressive candidate Kim Seok-jun has been elected in the Busan Superintendent re-election. Voters distinguish between education and politics.
Busan citizens chose the progressive candidate in the superintendent re-election. Politically conservative, they opted for progressivism in education.
On April 2nd, in the Busan Superintendent re-election, citizens chose progressive candidate Kim Seok-jun, who won over conservative candidates Jung Seung-yoon and Choi Yoon-hong.
Despite leading polls during the election, Kim faced uncertainty due to anticipated conservative consolidation amidst the recent impeachment situation.
However, the vote count revealed that the combined votes for conservative candidates Jung and Choi fell short of Kim’s total.
This is attributed to voters considering education separately from politics, reflecting an intention to exclude political colors in the field of education.
A Busan education official commented, “Though the turnout (22.8%) was low, the approach of separating education from politics indicates a hopeful future for Busan education.”
Conservative candidate Jung’s team attracted support from extreme conservatives but lost middle-ground appeal, as his image leaned more towards a politician than an educator.
Additionally, Kim Seok-jun’s familiarity, built over two terms as superintendent, contributed to his victory. He led in all 16 districts of Busan, even in conservative strongholds.
Kim’s campaign maintained focus until the end, consolidating support, wary of previous narrow losses despite leading in polls.
With this victory, Kim will serve as Busan’s superintendent until the local elections next June. Attention is on whether “education over ideology, future over left and right” will manifest in Busan’s education as promised.