Assemblyman Yoon Young-deok's Active Role in Strengthening Publicness of Higher Education at the National Audit

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Congressman Yoon Youngdeok (The Democratic Party of Korea·Gwangju Dongnamgap) is receiving positive evaluations for achieving remarkable results by presenting sharp criticisms and policy alternatives for ‘publicness of education’ and ‘protection of socially vulnerable groups’ during this National Assembly inspection.

In particular, he was praised for urging innovation in private universities, which have lost public trust due to persistent private school corruption despite contributing to nurturing talent in higher education in Korea. He proposed legislative plans to overcome the kinship-centered management system, improve the open director system, strengthen transparency in financial management, and prevent damage to whistleblowers of private school corruption.

Congressman Yoon comforted the pain of students and parents who were marginalized in emergency care classrooms at elementary schools during the first semester due to being students with disabilities amid COVID-19.

As a witness in the National Assembly inspection, he invited parents of children with special educational needs to hear the voices from the field where their children were inevitably excluded from emergency care because they were students with disabilities.

Thanks to Congressman Yoon’s efforts, the Ministry of Education immediately entered into consultations with 17 city and provincial offices of education to support the education of students with special educational needs, and plans to launch a pilot project next month to strengthen educational support for special classes in general schools linked with universities that have special education departments.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education and Jeonnam Office of Education also expressed active positions regarding the formation of a consultative body.

Regarding national universities and national university hospitals, he achieved results by pointing out one by one the irregularities that should never occur in institutions that must guarantee publicness.

He pointed out a sexual violence case that occurred at the Law School and Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation of Chonnam National University, highlighting cases where the Human Rights Center and the Law School, which should prioritize protecting the rights of victims, instead continuously caused harm to the victims.

He demanded fact-finding and disciplinary action regarding preferential treatment of a professor’s spouse and abuse and verbal violence against nurses at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital. A special audit by the Ministry of Education is also planned regarding allegations of misconduct by a professor at Gwangju National University of Education revealed through this criticism.

Efforts to resolve conflicts between social classes and to consider socially vulnerable groups were also not overlooked.

He urged the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to reinvestigate the so-called Hanago high school entrance exam fraud allegations that occurred among the elite class, and strongly criticized the discrimination in status and welfare benefits between corporate employees and regular employees within Seoul National University.

Additionally, he urged the government to conduct an accurate survey at the national level for the restoration of honor and compensation for victims forcibly conscripted as labor troops during the Japanese colonial period, and actively called for the enactment of the “(tentative name) Support Act for Forced Labor Troop Victims” and the establishment of the “(tentative name) Labor Troop History Education Center” to support the lives of survivors.

Congressman Yoon said, “Through this National Assembly inspection, I focused on reviewing the Ministry of Education’s major policies to strengthen the publicness of education and protect socially vulnerable groups, pointing out irregularities and corruption suspicions in educational institutions and striving to prepare policy alternatives.” He added, “While I am relieved that the government has expressed a positive stance on the issues, there are still many hurdles to overcome, so I will do my best until the end.”