'Education fit for the AI era'; legal risk clouds new term

Busan Superintendent-elect Kim Suk-jun smiles and holds a bouquet of flowers Wednesday night after his victory was confirmed. [Yonhap]
Busan Superintendent-elect Kim Suk-jun smiles and holds a bouquet of flowers Wednesday night after his victory was confirmed. [Yonhap]

Kim Suk-jun won the Busan superintendent of education race in the June 3 local elections, becoming the first school superintendent in the country elected to a fourth term. According to vote tallies released by the National Election Commission on Thursday, Kim secured 50.63 percent of the vote. Conservative candidates Jeong Seung-yun and Choi Yun-hong received 33.12 percent and 16.23 percent, respectively.

"This is not a victory for Kim Suk-jun the individual — it is a victory for the citizens who chose the future of democracy and a great transformation of Busan education," Kim said. "I will open up a bright future for our children through education fit for the age of AI transformation."

A former professor at Pusan National University's College of Education, Kim was first elected superintendent in 2014 and again in 2018. He lost to Ha Yun-su in 2022, but after Ha's election was voided in 2024 over illegal early campaigning, Kim ran in the 2025 by-election and won a third term.

Despite the historic fourth-term victory, Kim begins his new term carrying legal risk. He was indicted on charges including abuse of authority for the special hiring of teachers dismissed from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union, and a court of first instance sentenced him to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. An appeals trial is ongoing, and if the Supreme Court hands down a sentence of imprisonment or heavier, he would lose his post — potentially triggering another Busan superintendent election.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com