Impeachment Trial of President Yoon to Be Broadcast Live at 11 a.m. on the 4th
Education Offices Say "Voluntary Viewing" vs. Ministry of Education Stresses "Maintain Neutrality"
Official Letters Vary?Some Contain No "Recommendation"
Teachers Burdened by Parental Complaints and Legal Obligations
Although 10 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide sent official letters to elementary, middle, and high schools regarding watching the live TV broadcast of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment trial, teachers themselves are caught in a dilemma. The content of the official letters varies by education office, and with the Ministry of Education and some parent organizations emphasizing teachers' neutrality, there is a burden that teachers have no safety net to protect them if complaints or other issues arise.
According to the official letters from the 10 metropolitan and provincial offices of education, seven of them?Gyeongnam, Gwangju, Sejong, Incheon, Jeonnam, Chungnam, and Busan?actively encouraged using the Constitutional Court's presidential impeachment trial at 11 a.m. on the 4th as part of democratic citizenship education.
These education offices also specified methods such as watching recorded broadcasts or live streaming.
However, there are subtle differences in the details. The official letters from Sejong, Chungnam, Busan, and Jeonnam offices of education were titled "Live TV Broadcast Viewing of Impeachment Trial." They sent messages to each school saying, "Please utilize the live broadcast of the impeachment trial verdict as part of democratic citizenship educational activities." In particular, Jeonnam Office of Education explicitly used the word "recommendation" in the letter.
Gyeongnam, Gwangju, and Incheon offices of education mentioned watching the live broadcast of the impeachment trial as a method of democratic citizenship education, but instead of saying "please utilize," as the previous offices did, they used the phrase "conduct voluntarily."
Jeonbuk Office of Education used even milder wording. In an official letter titled "Guidelines for Conducting Occasion-based Education," it stated, "There have been many inquiries about occasion-based education at school sites recently," and shared the guideline that "schools may conduct occasion-based education." It did not specify methods such as watching the live broadcast of the impeachment trial.
Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education were similar. Seoul's letter was titled "Guidance on Constitutional Education and Student Life Safety Education," and Ulsan's was "Precautions for Watching Live Broadcast." Rather than recommending watching the impeachment trial live broadcast, the emphasis was on conducting it voluntarily and being cautious when utilizing it.
A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official said, "The functions and roles of the Constitutional Court related to the impeachment verdict serve as learning materials," but added, "Rather than the broadcast viewing itself, fact-based occasion education is more important, so we did not include content recommending it in the official letter."
On that day, 13 schools near the Constitutional Court and the presidential residence were closed, and depending on the nature of rallies and demonstrations, there may be school closures or shortened classes on the 7th as well. In this atmosphere, it seems there was reluctance to recommend watching the impeachment trial broadcast.
On the 3rd, one day before the impeachment trial verdict of President Yoon Seok-yeol, roads near the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, are being controlled. 2025. 04. 03 Photo by Yoon Dong-ju
Tension is mounting at the Grand Bench of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 3rd, one day before the Constitutional Court's ruling on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seok-yeol. 2025.04.03 Photo by Joint Press Corps
Although watching the live broadcast of the impeachment trial is left to school discretion, the Ministry of Education and parent organizations emphasize "teachers' political neutrality," creating a burdened atmosphere among some teachers.
On the 3rd, the Ministry of Education stated, "Watching the live broadcast of the impeachment trial must be managed so as not to violate educational neutrality, the Public Official Election Act, and related laws," and added, "If classes are changed for watching the live broadcast, internal school procedures must be followed." The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) protested that the government rather damaged educational neutrality. In a statement, KTU said, "The precautions for watching the live broadcast are not guidance but intimidation," and called it "an act that obstructs watching the impeachment trial live broadcast and suppresses teachers' legitimate democratic citizenship education."
However, some parent organizations countered, saying, "Having students watch the presidential impeachment trial live broadcast during class seriously undermines the political neutrality of education," intensifying conflicts over whether to broadcast even before the impeachment trial began.
As a result, opinions among teachers are divided. Especially in elementary schools, where students' understanding varies and they are more vulnerable to parental complaints, the burden is greater. Accordingly, despite the education offices' recommendation letters to watch the impeachment trial live broadcast, some teachers said they would not show the broadcast in their classrooms.
An elementary school teacher in Chungnam said, "This impeachment trial has extremely polarized fans and critics, so even if watching it is for educational purposes, unreasonable parental complaints may come in," and added, "There is a legal burden regarding complaints and the obligation of political neutrality."
Another teacher working in Jeonnam said, "The application of teachers' political neutrality obligation is inconsistent," and said, "If policies change depending on the administration, please abolish the obligation of political neutrality."
On the morning of the 4th, the day of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment ruling, citizens and organization members supporting the impeachment gathered near the Constitutional Court in Anguk-dong, Seoul, holding a rally urging approval as they awaited the ruling. Photo by Jo Yong-jun
The Elementary School Teachers' Union stated in a press release, "While education should be politically neutral, the Ministry of Education and education offices are turning education into a subject of political interpretation and power struggles," and criticized, "Teachers have been reduced to 'passive entities' who follow administrative orders and are not respected as subjects of educational judgment."
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