Gyeonggi Council Democratic Party Urges "Im Tae-hee, Superintendent of Education, to Apologize for Classifying Nobel Prize-Winning Works as Harmful Books"

The spokesperson group of the Democratic Party of Korea in the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly is urging an apology on the 11th regarding Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education Lim Tae-hee's classification of the Nobel Prize-winning literary work "The Vegetarian" as a harmful book.

The Democratic Party of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly has called for an apology from Gyeonggi Provincial Superintendent of Education Lim Tae-hee, stating that due to his hasty administration, the novel "The Vegetarian" by Nobel Literature Prize laureate Han Kang was classified as harmful literature and discarded.

On the 11th, the Democratic Party of the Provincial Assembly, through a spokesperson's statement, said, "We sincerely congratulate novelist Han Kang on winning the Nobel Literature Prize along with the people of Gyeonggi Province. This achievement is even more meaningful as she is the first Korean writer and Asian woman to receive this honor," evaluating the recent award.

They added, "This is a great achievement and honor for Korean literature, and the Nobel Prize win brings us great comfort."

However, the spokespersons lamented, "The hasty administration of Superintendent Lim Tae-hee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education has outraged not only the people of Gyeonggi but also the global community by tarnishing this honor," stating, "In 2023, over 2,500 books were discarded from elementary, middle, and high school libraries across Gyeonggi Province as harmful to youth, among which Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian' was included."

They particularly noted, "Among the discarded books were 'Blindness' by Nobel laureate Jos? Saramago, 'Proof of Guui' by Choi Jin-young who won the Yi Sang Literary Award, 'Adolescence: User Manual for My Body' which won Germany's Science Book of the Year, and 'Sex Education for Teens' which received the Knowledge Award from a British education journal."

However, they criticized, "In reality, only one book among those discarded was designated as harmful to youth by the Publication Ethics Committee," adding, "The disposal of excellent books such as 'The Vegetarian' is nothing short of a result of Superintendent Lim Tae-hee's biased educational philosophy."

The spokespersons strongly warned, "The Democratic Party of the Provincial Assembly issues a stern warning to Superintendent Lim Tae-hee," emphasizing, "Culture should not be interfered with by administration or politics. Superintendent Lim must clearly establish standards for harmful books related to sexuality and stop imposing the pain of a 'blacklist' on Gyeonggi education."

They also pressured, "Superintendent Lim Tae-hee must correct his wrongful administration and apologize to the people of Gyeonggi Province."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education released a statement titled 'Correction Regarding Some Media Reports on the Designation and Disposal of Certain Books as Harmful Literature,' clarifying that contrary to reports, only two copies of Han Kang's work were discarded at one school.