Choi Gyojin's Confirmation Hearing: Will He Overcome Controversies Over Political Bias, Drunk Driving, and Plagiarism?

Controversial Remarks Toward Former President Park
Expected to Address Drunk Driving and Other Allegations

The confirmation hearing for Choi Gyojin, the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, was held on September 2 at the National Assembly's Education Committee. Choi is expected to outline the policy direction the Ministry of Education should pursue going forward, while also actively addressing various allegations surrounding him.

Yonhap News Agency

During his opening statement at the hearing that morning, Choi pledged to "listen attentively to voices from the field with humility and maintain ongoing communication with the educational community." He identified the following as core values: restoring public education, strengthening the state's responsibility for public education, nurturing future talent in the era of artificial intelligence, and achieving balanced national development through education.

Choi stated, "Creating a joyful school environment for students is a key mission of education," and added, "I will work to ensure that the education policies of the government, which is founded on popular sovereignty, are successfully implemented."

However, at this confirmation hearing, members of the National Assembly's Education Committee are expected to focus more on Choi's political bias and moral character, rather than his educational philosophy, policy direction, or expertise.

During his tenure as Superintendent of Education in Sejong, Choi expressed hostility toward conservative administrations on social media, often using harsh language. On December 31, 2016, he attended a rally calling for the resignation of former President Park Geunhye and used an expression that evoked profanity, saying, "Goodbye, Byeongsinnyeon." On October 26, 2019, he referred to the anniversary of former President Park Chunghee's death as "Tangtangjeol." In August 2021, he posted a message suggesting that Cho Kuk, then head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party and under investigation for alleged admissions fraud involving his children, was being politically persecuted.

Questions have also been raised about Choi's moral integrity as the head of the Ministry of Education, most notably regarding drunk driving. On October 17, 2003, at around 1:44 a.m., Choi was caught by police driving under the influence on a road in Yongmun-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon. His blood alcohol concentration at the time was 0.187%, which is high enough for license revocation, indicating he was heavily intoxicated. The Sejong City Office of Education, where Choi served as superintendent, had previously imposed severe disciplinary measures on teachers and education office staff who were found guilty of drunk driving.

There are also allegations of plagiarism. In December 2006, Choi submitted a master's thesis titled "Analysis of Policy Pledges in the Manifesto Movement" to the Graduate School of Public Administration at Mokwon University. The thesis was suspected of plagiarism for quoting numerous newspaper articles without proper citation. Regarding these various controversies, Choi's camp stated, "We will clarify everything in detail during the confirmation hearing."