Conflicting Reactions to Education Union Minister Park Soon-ae's Appointment: "Request for Meeting," "Condemnation of Enforcement"

Kyochong "Focus Education Policy on Higher Education, Resolve Issues in Kindergarten, Elementary and Secondary"
Jeon-gyo-jo "Investigate Admission Corruption of Those with Ethical Insensitivity, Will Personnel Management Gain Support?"
Minister Park's Drunk Driving Record Raises "Difficulty in Accepting Severe Disciplinary Action for Education Officials"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] On the 4th, following the appointment of Park Soon-ae as the new Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, teachers' organizations expressed mixed reactions, pointing out the omission of the confirmation hearing process while also urging responsibility and condemning the appointment.

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) commented on the day of the appointment, stating, "It is regrettable that suspicions were raised during the appointment process and that, due to the absence of a hearing procedure, we could not confirm her convictions and vision for education." They urged, "We ask her to undertake her duties with a heavier sense of responsibility."

The KFTA added, "Since the launch of the new government, education policies have focused on higher education fields such as semiconductors," and urged, "It is essential to clearly recognize the importance of early childhood, elementary, and secondary education, which form the foundation of education, and to promptly address field difficulties and current issues."

They further stated, "We request to meet with the minister as soon as possible to convey the realities and concerns of early childhood, elementary, and secondary education and to candidly discuss solutions," and added, "Let us cooperate to create educational conditions where students can study freely in a comfortable environment and teachers can teach with conviction."

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) issued a statement condemning the forced appointment of the minister. The KTU said, "We condemn the forced appointment of Minister of Education Park Soon-ae, who has already lost leadership due to controversies over her qualifications, including allegations of drunk driving and the resulting suspended sentence without explanation or apology, as well as accusations of plagiarizing a student's thesis and duplicate publication of papers."

The KTU stated, "The appointment of Park Soon-ae as Minister of Education tramples on public opinion demanding higher morality in the education sector and the hopes of the education community expecting a leader responsible for education for the next hundred years," and questioned, "Can a department dedicated to investigating entrance exam corruption led by a minister who is the subject of ethical insensitivity, and the overall personnel management of educational officials by a minister with a history of drunk driving, gain momentum?"

The KTU pointed out, "According to public opinion polls, respondents cited 'personnel issues' as the biggest cause of the decline in support for the Yoon Suk-yeol government," and warned, "If the driving force for tackling pressing educational reform tasks such as education recovery from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and entrance exam system reform is lost, the biggest cause will be the 'appointment of the Minister of Education.'"

The Seoul Teachers' Union also expressed regret over the forced appointment, stating, "The minister's background is far from the ideal human model that our country's education aims for," and added, "We need to understand what purpose the 600,000 teachers are educating for."

The Seoul Teachers' Union mentioned Deputy Prime Minister Park's 'drunk driving while heavily intoxicated' record, saying, "While it may be legally possible for a minister with a history of drunk driving to severely discipline educational officials for drunk driving, it is difficult to accept this from a common-sense perspective," and added, "Cynicism toward the Ministry of Education lowers the morale of educational officials and will further negatively impact the development of education in our country."