"Confirmation Hearing Shows Unqualified for Minister... Nationwide Movement if Lee Jinsook's Appointment Is Not Revoked"

World Without Worries About Private Education:
"Urging Voluntary Withdrawal and Revocation of Appointment"
Beyond Thesis Controversy and Illegal Early Overseas Education for Children
Lacking Sufficient 'Educational Expertise'
Unable to Answer Whether AI Textbooks Are 'Textbooks or Educational Materials'
"English Kindergartens Should Also Be Within Public Education"... A Shocking Response

There have been criticisms that Lee Jinsook, nominee for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, lacks not only integrity regarding her children's illegal early overseas education and allegations of plagiarism but also the necessary capabilities as an educator.

The civic group World Without Worries About Private Education (Sageokse) stated on July 17, "At the confirmation hearing, we confirmed that nominee Lee not only lacks educational expertise but also has a very weak commitment to educational reform," and urged, "We call for nominee Lee's voluntary withdrawal and for President Lee Jaemyung to revoke her appointment."

Yonhap News

Sageokse issued a statement that day, saying, "The basis for our assessment that nominee Lee lacks educational expertise is that she was unable to provide proper answers to most of the questions from hearing committee members regarding current educational issues."

First, they pointed out that Lee lacks sufficient reflection on competitive education, which is regarded as a chronic problem in South Korea, and the resulting overheated private education sector.

Sageokse commented, "One out of four South Korean adolescents contemplates self-harm or suicide due to the suffering caused by competitive education," adding, "Therefore, a nominee for Minister of Education should have presented a commitment and policies to reform the excessive competitive education structure." They continued, "However, the nominee only proposed managing high-risk groups by establishing medical and counseling systems in cooperation with healthcare institutions, without even approaching a fundamental solution."

They also criticized Lee for failing to properly grasp the situation regarding the "artificial intelligence (AI) digital textbook," an issue that has persisted for over a year since last year, stating, "She was so unprepared that she would not be able to handle related duties immediately as minister."

Lee was unable to answer a question from Kang Kyungsook, a member of the Innovation Party for the Motherland, regarding whether the AI textbook should be considered 'educational material' or an official 'textbook.'

Last year, when the Democratic Party was the opposition, a bill was passed in the plenary session to downgrade AI textbooks to 'educational materials,' but the Yoon Sukyeol administration exercised its veto, leading to the bill's repeal. In the first semester of this year, AI textbooks were officially used as 'textbooks.'

However, on July 10, the National Assembly Education Committee passed a partial amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in a full committee meeting to downgrade AI textbooks to 'educational materials.' If this passes the plenary session, AI textbooks will again be classified as 'educational materials' under the new administration.

As a result, AI textbook publishers held a press conference immediately after the committee passed the amendment, warning that "if AI textbooks are downgraded to educational materials, the related industry will be devastated."

Sageokse also criticized Lee for providing "highly inappropriate answers" regarding English kindergartens, which are referred to as the "4-year-old and 7-year-old notification" and have been criticized for violating the human rights of young children.

Lee Jinsook, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education nominee, is returning to her seat after submitting the oath statement to Chairman Kim Youngho at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly Education Committee on July 16, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

In response to a question from Cho Junghoon, a member of the People Power Party, about whether English kindergartens are necessary, Lee replied, "I believe English kindergartens should also provide services within the scope of public education."

Sageokse described this as "shocking," stating, "Given that 85.2% of pediatric psychiatrists say that early cognitive education for infants and young children is detrimental to their mental health, mentioning support for English kindergarten services within public education is, in itself, grounds for disqualification as a ministerial nominee."

There were also criticisms that Lee's "will for educational reform" is weak.

When asked by Representative Cho whether special-purpose high schools such as autonomous private high schools are necessary, Lee only answered, "I am well aware" and "I will consider it more carefully."

Sageokse pointed out, "Abolishing autonomous private high schools and special-purpose high schools has been the official platform of the Democratic Party since the 19th presidential election," and added, "Even conservative candidates Yoo Seungmin and Ahn Cheolsoo raised the issue of high school ranking and supported abolishing these schools during their presidential campaigns."

They continued, "In the 20th presidential election, President Moon Jaein pledged to convert autonomous private, foreign language, and international high schools into general high schools, and even revised the relevant enforcement decree in 2019. If the nominee for Minister of Education under the Lee Jaemyung administration says that this issue requires careful consideration, there is little hope for hearing her stance on even more complex educational reform tasks."

Sageokse assessed that nominee Lee is unlikely to properly carry out her duties in the Lee Jaemyung administration, which has made 'addressing inequality and polarization' a key policy. Sageokse commented, "When Seo Jiyeong, a member of the People Power Party, asked about solutions to the education gap, nominee Lee only gave evasive answers, apparently worried that it would lead to criticism regarding her own children's overseas education." They added, "Given this, even if the nominee is sincere about addressing the education gap, she is highly likely to become an obstacle to the Lee Jaemyung administration's governance, as she will be exposed to endless political attacks."

Sageokse concluded, "We call for nominee Lee's voluntary withdrawal and for President Lee's immediate revocation of her appointment," adding, "If our demand is not accepted within a few days, we will launch a nationwide movement calling for her voluntary withdrawal and the revocation of her appointment."