"Punished Even for Sharing Political News"
Calls for Freedom to Join Political Parties and Express Opinions
Teachers Allowed to Join Political Parties in Major Foreign Countries
With three weeks remaining until the presidential election, voices have emerged calling for the guarantee of teachers' basic political rights, such as the right to join political parties. Teachers argued that legal revisions are needed so that they can be assured of political rights, including freedom of political expression and the ability to make political donations.
Five teachers' organizations?the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the Coalition for Teachers' Political Rights, the New School Network, the Practical Education Teachers' Association, and the Good Teachers Movement?held a press conference in front of the Government Seoul Office at 10:30 a.m. on the 13th and made these statements.
Five teachers' organizations held a press conference in front of the Government Seoul Office on the 13th, demanding the political basic rights of teachers. Photo by the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union
They pointed out, "Today, South Korea is the only OECD country that completely prohibits teachers and public officials from joining political parties," adding, "Teachers in South Korea have even faced criminal punishment for expressing political opinions on social media or sharing political news." They emphasized, "Teachers are not to be silenced politically, but are agents who can change education and society," and called on presidential candidates to clearly pledge to guarantee teachers' basic political rights and to immediately pursue comprehensive amendments to relevant laws upon taking office.
According to current laws such as the Public Official Election Act, the Political Parties Act, and the National Public Officials Act, teachers are required to maintain political neutrality, and as a result, are restricted from joining political parties and support associations. Their freedom of expression, such as publicly supporting a candidate, is also limited. In particular, there are provisions for criminal punishment if a teacher engages in activities that influence elections using their position or in connection with their duties.
The international community, including the United Nations (UN) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), has for several years recommended that South Korea fully guarantee the political freedoms of teachers and public officials. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea also recommended in 2019 that related laws, including the National Public Officials Act, be revised, stating that the political freedoms of public officials and teachers are excessively restricted. However, the government did not accept this recommendation. At the time, the government cited the need to build social consensus and the Constitutional Court's ruling upholding the restriction on political party membership for public officials as reasons.
As the teachers' organizations cited, unlike in South Korea, political participation by teachers is relatively guaranteed in other countries. The United Kingdom, the United States, France, Japan, and Germany do not restrict public officials, including teachers, from joining political parties. In Japan, teachers are allowed to join political parties, though they are prohibited from making political donations. Even if this rule is violated, there are no criminal penalties imposed.
Park Younghwan, president of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, stated at the press conference, "Students are allowed to join political parties from the age of 16, but teachers, who are responsible for civic education, have no rights at all," adding, "If we want to teach democracy to students, that democracy must also be alive in the lives of teachers."
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