Liberal candidate Jung Geun-sik elected Seoul’s superintendent of education

Liberal candidate Jung Geun-sik was elected as Seoul’s superintendent of education in Wednesday’s by-election.

Liberal candidate Jung Geun-sik celebrates as he nears victory in the by-election for Seoul's superintendent of education at his office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Liberal candidate Jung Geun-sik was elected as Seoul’s superintendent of education in Wednesday’s by-election.

Jung defeated his conservative rival, Cho Jun-hyuk, by a margin of 4.15 percentage points, securing 50.17 percent of the vote. This surpasses the 38.1 percent his predecessor, Cho Hee-yeon, received in the 2022 local election.

"This election was a pivotal moment in shaping the future of education," Jung said during his acceptance speech. "Your choice will transform Seoul's education and take it to the next level."

His inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in central Seoul.

In other by-election results, the conservative People Power Party (PPP) candidate Yoon Il-hyun won the race for chief of Busan’s Geumjeong District. In Incheon’s Ganghwa County, Park Yong-cheol of the PPP defeated the Democratic Party’s (DP) Han Yeon-hee. In South Jeolla, DP's Chang Sae-il won in Yeonggwang County, while DP candidate Cho Sang-rae claimed victory in Gokseong County.

The National Election Commission reported a voter turnout of 24.6 percent, including early voting, with 2.12 million of 8.64 million eligible voters casting ballots.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]