School Election Candidates Probed

The police began questioning candidates who are alleged to have run an illegal campaign for election that was held yesterday to select superintendents of education in Daejeon and North Gyeongsang Province and 132 members of education boards of 14 cities and provinces.

The police said yesterday, “We received reports saying that four candidates of the education superintendent election and nine candidates of education board members election committed crimes during the campaign period,” adding, “So, we are now doing an investigation on it because this is a violation of Local Education Autonomy Act.”

According to police, A, who ran for the education superintendent election of Daejeon, is charged with treating voters (schools’ operating committee members) to dinner on July 3 at one restaurant located in downtown Daejeon and asked for their support to win the election.

A is also now in charge of running illegal election campaign offices and seeking schools’ operating committee members’ support by sending e-mail or giving calls to them. Contrary to the parliamentary election and mayoral and provincial governor election, both education superintendent election and education board members election don’t permit candidates to open election campaign offices.

“Except issuing official reports on running elections, stating personal views on certain matters, and having official interviews or debates, all campaign activities are regarded as illegal in local educational elections,” said the police.

On the other hand, B, a member of the education board of North Gyeongsang Province, is currently on charges of illegally treating principals to meals on conditions that they support a certain candidate who ran for the education superintendent election in this region.

“There was a report that B called five headmasters to a restaurant in downtown and provided a 20,000 won free dinner to each,” said a source from the police.

The candidates who ran for education board members elections are also under questioning now. C, a teacher of one school located in South Jeolla Province, who ran for the education board members election in the same region is now charged with distributing pamphlets that advertise himself to 1,300 voters (schools’ operating committee members) on June 30 and asked for support for him.

In addition to this, another eight candidates of the education board members election, including D, a school teacher in Busan, who left the words, “I even accepted early retirement in order to run for the election. Please give me support to win the election,” at the school homepage, are under questioning now for their alleged illegal election campaign.

Meanwhile, National Election Commission announced, “With regard to the local educational elections, until July 28, 66 illegal campaign cases were reported and, out of this 23 case were prosecuted, 11 cases are under investigation, and 32 cases received warnings.”

wing@donga.com