A by-election to replace Cho Hee-yeon as superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is set for October 16, after the Supreme Court upheld his criminal conviction and suspended sentence Thursday. 

The Seoul education office and the election watchdog announced the date of the by-election after the court ruling effectively stripped Cho of his position for abusing his authority to reinstate fired teachers.

It will be the first by-election for a new superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education since 2012, when Kwak No-hyun was forced out over a bribery conviction.

Many people are interested to see whether a conservative such as former Dongguk University professor Park Sun-young will succeed the left-leaning Cho, the city's first-ever three-term superintendent.

Speculation suggests the ballot sheet might also include liberals such as Kang Shin-man, a former executive at the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, and Kwak No-hyun.

The new superintendent will serve until local elections set for June 3, 2026.