95% of Teachers Oppose Mandatory Asset Registration

88% of Teachers Say "Asset Registration Means Disclosure"
"Blaming Teachers for Real Estate Policy Failures"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] A survey revealed that 95% of teachers oppose the government's push to mandate asset registration.

On the 18th, the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations announced that 95.2% of the 6,626 kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school, and university teachers surveyed from the 13th to the 15th responded that they oppose the 'Emergency Survey on Asset Registration for Teachers and Public Officials.'

The reasons for opposition included ▲labeling all teachers and public officials as potential criminals (65.4%, multiple responses allowed) ▲shifting the government's failed real estate policy responsibility onto teachers and public officials (60.9%).

88.3% of teachers believed that since school and education authorities' registration managers, spouses, or direct relatives would know about the asset registration process, it is practically equivalent to disclosure. This contrasts with the Ministry of Personnel Management's explanation that 'registering assets is not the same as disclosing them.'

Teachers responded that the government should withdraw the asset registration policy (87.3%) and that effective measures to eradicate speculation, such as strengthening the detection of proxy speculation, should be established (73.5%).

Ha Yoon-su, president of the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations, stated, "The asset registration of all teachers, public officials, and their families is an unprecedented excessive legislation worldwide and a hasty administration that only lowers morale," urging, "The government and ruling party should no longer ignore teachers' opinions and immediately withdraw the asset registration push."