National Assembly Education Committee to Hold AI Textbook Hearing on 17th... Witness Adoption for Lee Ju-ho's Daughter Deferred

Education Committee Adopts 18 Witnesses and 13 Reference Witnesses

The National Assembly's Education Committee (EdCom) will hold a hearing on the 17th to verify the AI digital textbooks promoted by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

Kim Young-ho, Chairman of the National Assembly Education Committee, is striking the gavel at the plenary meeting of the Education Committee held at the National Assembly on the 5th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

On the 7th, the EdCom held a plenary session at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, and adopted a plan to conduct the 'AI Digital Textbook Verification Hearing.' The committee plans to verify the content of the AI digital textbooks, the process of their introduction, expected effects upon implementation, and any issues during the hearing.

The EdCom plans to summon 18 witnesses, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho, officials from the Ministry of Education, some metropolitan and provincial superintendents of education, representatives of AI digital textbook development companies, and current teachers, as well as 13 reference persons.

The Democratic Party of Korea also attempted to include Lee So-min, a professor at Washington State University in the United States and daughter of Deputy Prime Minister Lee, as a witness. The party raised suspicions of preferential treatment during the process of publishing papers related to digital textbooks in international academic journals, co-authored by the deputy prime minister when he was a professor at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), Professor Lee, and Professor Jeong Young-sik of Jeonju National University of Education.

However, after discussions between the ruling and opposition parties, Professor Lee was ultimately excluded from the final witness list. Moon Jung-bok, a Democratic Party lawmaker and opposition party secretary, stated, "The majority of Democratic Party members believe that no one should be subjected to harsh treatment like the daughter of Cho Kuk or the daughter of the Innovation Party's former leader just because they are the daughter of a minister or politician," and proposed deferring Professor Lee's witness appointment. Education Committee Chair Kim Young-ho accepted the proposal.

The amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which defines AI digital textbooks as educational materials rather than textbooks, passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 26th of last month. However, Deputy Prime Minister Lee and the People Power Party recommended that the government exercise its veto power. The Ministry of Education stated that even if AI digital textbooks lose their status as textbooks, it will support all schools wishing to use them to the fullest extent possible.