Son Hyosuk Refuses to Accept Summons by Changing Contact Information
Key Witness Kim Joosung Also Leaves Country, Citing "Grandson's Birthday Party"
Ruling Party Requests Additional Witnesses for Libax School Hearing
A National Assembly hearing on the conservative education group Libax School is scheduled for the 10th, but concerns are being raised that it may become a "hearing without witnesses" as key witnesses are consecutively refusing to appear.
At the Education Committee plenary session held on the morning of the 2nd, Moon Jungbok, a Democratic Party lawmaker and the ruling party's secretary, additionally requested Kim, the head of the Korea Neulbom Education Association and daughter of Son Hyosuk, representative of Libax School and a key figure in the Libax School case, as a witness for the hearing.
An emergency inquiry regarding allegations of comment manipulation by the conservative group 'Libax School' is underway against the Ministry of Education at the Education Committee plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 11th. 2025.6.11 Photo by Kim Hyunmin
According to Representative Moon, Son Hyosuk has refused to accept the summons to attend the hearing.
Moon stated, "The ruling and opposition parties agreed on the date and witness list for the Libax School hearing, but the key witness, Representative Son, has been continuously changing her phone number and has even closed her business, so she has not received the summons to attend the hearing." She added, "Because of the mother-daughter relationship, Kim was initially excluded, but now we have no choice but to request her as an additional witness."
Another key witness, Kim Joosung, a non-standing member of the National Education Commission and president of the Academy of Korean Studies, who was summoned by the National Assembly, also replied that he would not be able to attend the Libax School hearing.
Kim Youngho, Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the Education Committee, stated at the meeting, "President Kim Joosung is a key witness who could reveal the reality of far-right ideological education," and added, "However, as soon as he received the summons to attend the hearing, he left the country."
Representative Kim explained that the reason for Kim's absence was "to attend his grandson's birthday party in the United States."
He criticized, "As a non-standing member of the National Education Commission and president of the Academy of Korean Studies, someone responsible for critical public duties in Korean education, submitting an explanatory document stating he will remain in the United States for as long as three weeks to attend his grandson's birthday party, despite the public outrage over the Libax School hearing, is an abdication of responsibility for the important positions he holds."
President Kim is known to have made remarks such as "the essence of the family is violence" and "the left kills people" during Libax School's citizen journalist training program in the past.
Representative Kim emphasized, "Evading attendance at the National Assembly now does not end the matter," and said, "There is also a parliamentary audit in September, and if he does not appear this time, we will continue to summon him not only for the audit but also in the future."
Park Sungjoon, another Democratic Party lawmaker, also stated, "The Libax School issue is one that shakes the foundation of national discipline, so it is extremely important to clarify it through a hearing." He added, "If Representative Son and other witnesses do not appear, taking legal action to demonstrate the seriousness of the matter is the role of the National Assembly as a legislative body."
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