Regarding the Ministry of Education Reduction Theory, Candidate Kim In-cheol Says "The Role of the Ministry of Education Is Crucial"

Kim In-cheol Emphasizes Education Deregulation on First Day After Nomination
On Ministry of Education Reorganization: "Will Adapt to Changes in Function Differentiation and Role Sharing"

Kim In-cheol, candidate for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, arrived at the confirmation hearing preparation office set up at the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 14th, responding to questions from the press. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Kim In-cheol, the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, stated on the 14th regarding the downsizing theory of the Ministry of Education in the new government, "The Ministry of Education is a place that formulates and implements policies to strengthen national competitiveness and promote balanced regional development, and its role is extremely important."

On the same day, as Kim arrived at the personnel hearing preparation team's office set up at the Korea Educational Facilities Safety Institute in Yeouido, he told reporters, "When the new government takes office, there will be coordination regarding government organization, and I will work while coordinating in terms of functional differentiation and role sharing."

Regarding his previous stance that university autonomy should be strengthened and tuition fees should be increased, he said, "When I was the president of the University Education Council (Daekyo-hyeop), the most emphasized issues were university financial problems and deregulation of education. I spoke with the intention of reorganizing regulations," adding, "I will consider the voices from the field, expert perspectives, and the positions of students and parents."

Kim has raised his voice for the need to ease regulations related to higher education and expand financial support. He served as president of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for eight years and held positions such as chairman of the Council of Private University Presidents and president of Daekyo-hyeop, deeply engaging in higher education policies. Universities have been urging for several years to resolve the issue of securing higher education funding, and Daekyo-hyeop recently urged the transition committee to enact a special law on higher education financial support and implement deregulation policies regarding university establishment and operation requirements.

During his tenure as president of Daekyo-hyeop, Kim strongly criticized the four major requirements (campus land, buildings, faculty, and basic property for profit use) regulations and competition-oriented university competency evaluation. At a Daekyo-hyeop forum in July last year, Kim said, "If you give F grades to students as if giving credits while trying to escape a crisis, that university will find it difficult to continue its mission in the local community." Regarding the issue of tuition fee increases, he also said, "Autonomous tuition fee setting is a 'political issue,' and dealing with this issue by imposing conditions that disadvantage students is not educational."

The new government's transition committee also has an internal policy emphasizing 'autonomy and responsibility' regarding university support. A transition committee official said, "The Ministry of Education has also been conducting research on this part, but the issue of easing the four major requirements for university establishment depends on the Ministry of Education's 'decision.'"

Meanwhile, regarding the case in which Kim received a prosecutorial suspension of indictment for accounting fraud allegations following the Ministry of Education's audit of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 2020, he said, "If questions arise during the hearing, I will provide additional explanations."