As the 2026 North Jeolla Province Superintendent of Education election approaches, the old frame of 'Seo Geoseok succession or Kim Seung-hwan succession', 'teacher background or professor background' is once again resurfacing. However, such a dichotomy only clouds the essence of education with political games, distancing itself from the direction that North Jeolla education truly needs to move towards.

The Superintendent of Education election is not about continuing the lineage of a specific individual. It is important to find someone who will lead in the new era, rather than someone who continues the past. The moment a candidate is defined by the word 'succession', North Jeolla education stops at that point. While trapped in the identity struggle of 'whose person are you', the validation of 'what and how will you do' is pushed to the background.

The tasks that North Jeolla education must address immediately are clear. It requires leadership to resolve the deepening academic achievement gap post-COVID-19, and to mediate the conflicts arising among teachers, parents, and students at elementary school sites. The reality of students transitioning from elementary to middle and high school amidst conflict structures at the elementary level is only growing darker.

In this situation, some factions are fueling hostility towards parents and students' rights within the teacher group, fostering an atmosphere of hatred and rejection. They distort teachers into a victimized group detached from self-reflection and community, inciting extreme opposition. By pushing elementary school teachers into distorted identities, they ultimately plunge the field into greater chaos.

If the education sector remains silent or aids this trend, the future of North Jeolla education will only darken further. What is needed now is a Superintendent of Education with a clear determination and practice to firmly oppose forces that fuel such divisions and hatred, refusing to join hands with them. The authority of teachers should stem from trust and mutual understanding, not exclusivity, and an individual capable of maintaining this balance should take charge of North Jeolla education.

Furthermore, behaviors where individuals package themselves as 'potential candidates' without any intention of running in the actual election, using media exposure to gain recognition, should also be strongly cautioned against. Those who turn North Jeolla education into a stage for personal politics not only cloud the election platform but also contribute to undermining the public nature of education.

What North Jeolla education needs now is a serious reflection and exploration of alternatives that go beyond political frames. More important than one's background is the practical capacity to see through the current educational reality faced by students, parents, teachers, and the local community at this moment and change it. Instead of candidates who ride on past achievements and merely boast their names, North Jeolla needs new individuals who can articulate and realize the essence of education.

Education must evolve with the times. The future of North Jeolla education cannot be found in those who rely on old frames to engage in politics. What is needed now is not a 'successor' but an 'agent of change'. If you are a voter in North Jeolla, focus on what kind of education will be created, not whose name it is, and choose the real Superintendent of Education.