Kwak No-hyun, former superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education who was ousted and arrested on bribery charges, announced he is running for reelection in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

The by-election for Seoul's education chief has turned into a political battleground, with candidates highlighting their political inclinations rather than education policies on the campaign trail to appeal to voters.

The education chief post went up for grabs when former Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon was stripped of his post in August after the Supreme Court upheld a suspended prison sentence for him over abuse of power charges in connection with the reinstatement of dismissed teachers.

The post is in charge of administering around 2,100 elementary, middle and high schools, and 80,000 personnel in the nation's largest city with almost 10 million people, with an annual budget of 11 trillion won ($8.2 billion). As of Monday, 14 candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for the election, scheduled for Oct. 16, and several more are expected to join the fray.

A total of nine liberal-leaning candidates expressed their intention to run for the Seoul education chief. They include Kwak No-hyun, the former superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) who was ousted in 2012 and arrested on bribery charges, and Seoul National University professor Kim Kyung-bum, whose plan to abolish early admissions taking place in September became controversial.

"I will seek to impeach the political prosecutor who ousted Cho Hee-yeon and President Yoon Suk Yeol's education policy. These will bring us one step closer to a ‘greater impeachment' (referring to Yoon's proposed impeachment)," Kwak said during a press conference to announce his candidacy, Thursday.

Han Dong-hoon, chairman of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), criticized Kwak vying for another term.

"Kwak running for SMOE superintendent again is probably the worst scene in the history of education in Korea. He bribed a rival candidate to withdraw from the election for the position. Are you going to teach students that in order to succeed, all you have to do is win by any means necessary?" Han said during a PPP Supreme Council meeting, Monday.

Other candidates from the liberal bloc said they would remain in the running, but they might consider merging their candidacies to increase the chances of bringing victory to their party.

Cho Jun-hyuk, a former lawmaker known for his conservative stance, announced his bid to run for superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in front of SMOE headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

On the other hand, five right-leaning candidates have announced their candidacy as of Monday. However, candidates from the conservative bloc are having trouble forming a merger ahead of the election.

"Conservative, right-leaning, patriotic citizens, feel a sense of urgency that the SMOE cannot be lost to left-leaning progressives," said Cho Jun-hyuk, a former lawmaker known for his conservative stance. This marks Cho's third time running for the Seoul education chief following 2014 and 2022. Previously, he ran his campaign under the slogan of "KTU Out," referring to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, often recognized as a liberal-leaning organization.

Park Sun-young, a former lawmaker and another strong contender from the conservative bloc, announced her intention to withdraw from the campaign. "I have decided not to register as Seoul's education superintendent candidate. I hope the next Seoul education chief serves as a role model for 830,000 students in Seoul and exceeds expectations of students, teachers and parents by implementing educational policies tailored for the 21st century," Park wrote on Facebook, Monday.