5,000 Education Industry and Textbook Development Committee Members Attend
"Need for AIDT Verification and Improvement... Bill Must Be Reconsidered"
On the morning of July 21, publishers of the Artificial Intelligence Digital Textbook (AIDT), edtech companies, and members of the Textbook Development Committee held a rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, titled the 'AIDT Textbook Status Preservation Rally,' strongly urging a reconsideration of the plan to convert AIDT into educational materials.
Approximately 5,000 people attended the event, including executives and employees of AIDT publishers and edtech companies, members of the Textbook Development Committee, and Seo Jiyeong, a member of the People Power Party. The event began with an opening address by Hwang Geunsik, chairman of the Textbook Development Committee, followed by speeches from representatives of edtech companies and publishers, a screening of a video featuring teachers in the field, and the reading of a resolution.
Park Jeonggwa, CEO of Chunjae Textbook, stated, "Now is not the time to pass a bill to demote AIDT's status, but rather a time for objective verification and improvement." He continued, "Why is the current government, which advocates for becoming one of the top three AI powers, investing 100 trillion won, and promoting pragmatism, trying to set back AI only in the field of education?"
Officials from AIDT and related parties opposed the demotion of AIDT's legal status and demanded policy withdrawal at the mass rally held in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 21st. Photo by Choi Hokyung
Heo Bowook, CEO of Visang Education Content Company, said, "For the past three years, we have devoted ourselves to development, trusting in the government's vision for digital transformation." He appealed, "AIDT is not just a technology, but a tool that draws children's attention and enables eye contact between teachers and students." Introducing a case of restoring the learning rights of students with disabilities, he added, "AIDT is a platform that has invited students who had become distant from textbooks back into the classroom."
Seo Jiyeong, a member of the People Power Party who participated in the rally, said, "Listening to such heartfelt words truly broke my heart," and added, "I know how many education professionals and teachers in the field have struggled." Seo emphasized, "The blood, sweat, and tears you have poured into educational innovation and classroom revolution will not disappear," and expressed confidence that "a new era of educational reform will surely be brought forward."
Hyun Junwoo, CEO of Icecream Media, read the resolution, stressing, "AIDT is not just a textbook with applied technology, but an inclusive educational platform." He highlighted that it is infrastructure enabling all students?including those with disabilities, those in marginalized regions, and children from multicultural families?to access equitable educational content. He also criticized, "To strip a national strategic project, which has concentrated 1.2 trillion won in government funding and over 800 billion won in private investment, of its legal status just six months after implementation is an abdication of policy responsibility and a waste of taxpayers' money."
On site, participants chanted slogans such as "Maintain AIDT textbook status" and "Verify AIDT after field use." Attendees officially proposed a one-year extension for AIDT's pilot use in schools and the formation of a public-private-government consultative body for digital education policy, emphasizing that ample opportunities for future discussions must be guaranteed.
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