Seoul Student Human Rights Ordinance Abolished After 12 Years of Enforcement

Passed at the Seoul Metropolitan Council Plenary Session on the 26th

The Seoul Student Human Rights Ordinance was abolished after 12 years of enforcement. It is the second ordinance to be repealed among the seven metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide that have student human rights ordinances, following Chungnam.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council held a plenary session at 2 p.m. on the 26th and passed the "Ordinance to Abolish the Seoul Special City Student Human Rights Ordinance" with 60 votes in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions out of 60 members present. Council members affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea protested by not participating in the vote.

The Student Human Rights Ordinance prohibits discrimination against students based on gender, religion, and other factors. Last year, the government pointed to the student human rights ordinances as a cause of infringement on teachers' rights, prompting education offices in metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide to push for their repeal. On the 24th, the Chungnam Provincial Council became the first education office to abolish the student human rights ordinance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the Council’s Special Committee on Human Rights and Rights Improvement unanimously decided in the morning to submit the repeal bill of the Student Human Rights Ordinance to the plenary session. At the same time, the ordinance titled "Ordinance on the Rights and Responsibilities of School Members," which is considered a 'replacement' for the current Student Human Rights Ordinance, was also passed and approved in the plenary session.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education opposes the repeal, arguing that the new ordinance cannot replace the Student Human Rights Ordinance. Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated after the plenary session’s approval of the repeal bill, "The ordinance on the rights and responsibilities of school members does not address or regulate the human rights of any member of the educational community. In contrast, the Student Human Rights Ordinance contains in-depth provisions on rights stipulated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Constitution." He added, "Therefore, replacing the Student Human Rights Ordinance with this ordinance is no different from replacing the Harbor Act with the Maritime Act."

Superintendent Cho also said, "If the Student Human Rights Ordinance of Seoul, the capital of our country and a global city, is abolished, the repercussions will not be confined to Seoul but will lead to a regression in the rights of students nationwide, and furthermore, in the rights of children and adolescents overall." He urged, "Please stop the repeal of the Student Human Rights Ordinance."

Superintendent Cho requested an opportunity to speak just before the plenary vote that day but was denied. Chairman Kim Hyun-ki said, "Superintendent, if you have disagreements with the result, you can request reconsideration according to the Local Autonomy Act. Only council members are allowed to speak on agenda items."

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to continue efforts such as requesting reconsideration and advocating for the enactment of a Student Human Rights Act.

Meanwhile, outside the Seoul Metropolitan Council building where the plenary session was held that day, rallies both supporting and opposing the Student Human Rights Ordinance took place simultaneously.