Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education: "Discipline? It Hurts Teachers Who Wish to Restore Their Authority"

Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education Lim Tae-hee YTN Radio Interview

Regarding the Ministry of Education's initial stance of 'strict response' toward teachers who took sick leave or annual leave to participate in the September 4th rally and its subsequent withdrawal, Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, said, "Teachers may have perceived it as if they were going to be disciplined, which might have caused great hurt to the hearts of teachers who hope for the restoration of teachers' authority and the normalization of education."

Superintendent Lim appeared on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' on the 5th and said, "Realistically, is this a method that can be applied? We should have thought more carefully about such specific methods, but it seems to have been received that way."

Previously, a memorial service was held at Seo-i Elementary School in Seoul to commemorate the 49th day since the passing of a teacher from Seo-i Elementary School. Superintendent Lim also attended the event as a representative of the authorities on that day.

Superintendent Lim said, "There was a very long line of people waiting outside the school gate to pay their respects. Passing through that line and entering the event venue, the sorrowful atmosphere was beyond words. On one side, there was sadness, and on the other, anger over the lack of protective measures. It seems to be a complex situation where these feelings are combined."

On the afternoon of the 4th, Lim Tae-hee, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, delivered a memorial speech at the '49th Day Memorial Ceremony' held by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education at Seoi Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding the 'malicious complaints' known as the background of the Seo-i Elementary School teacher's death, he pointed out, "There are many complaints, but compared to other public offices, the system for organizational or institutional response is very weak and inadequate. It has been left almost entirely to individuals to handle."

He continued, "For teachers, their work is a public activity acting on behalf of the state's public education responsibility. If something happens during this public activity, naturally, the responsibility should be borne publicly, and the issue should be addressed publicly. However, since it has become treated as a personal issue of the teacher, who would find it easy to overcome this situation?" He added, "Therefore, through the memorial service for the 49th day of the Seo-i Elementary School teacher yesterday and this incident, I thought that this definitely needs to be fixed."

Furthermore, Superintendent Lim emphasized the need for a balance between teachers' authority and student rights, announcing plans to revise the current 'Student Human Rights Ordinance' by renaming it to the 'Ordinance on Student Rights and Responsibilities.'

He said, "The human rights, rights, and freedoms of individual students are all important, but individuals do not have the right to infringe upon the rights, freedoms, or human rights of teachers or others they are with. Therefore, if a student infringes upon the human rights, rights, or freedoms of teachers or other students, it is appropriate to include provisions in related laws or school regulations to hold them accountable. We are preparing to clearly reflect in the ordinance that if respect is not shown and harm is caused, responsibility must be taken."