Kim Moonsoo: "A School Built with Taxpayers' Money Must Be Made Public"

"Hanmin High School, a Hotbed of Irregularities and Corruption...
Institutional Normalization Needed"

Kim Moonsoo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 10th, pointing out the 'Hanmingo Incident' and advocating for publicization. Photo by Kim Moonsoo's Office

Kim Moonsoo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Suncheon-gap in South Jeolla Province, strongly condemned the accounting fraud and various corrupt practices at Hanmin High School and the Military Children’s Education Promotion Institute, asserting, "A school built with taxpayers’ money must be converted into a public institution."

At a press conference held at the National Assembly Communication Office on the 10th, Assemblyman Kim stated, "A school established with 85 billion won in defense and public funds was founded as a private institution, not as a national or public school," and pointed out, "Numerous irregularities and corrupt acts revealed in the recent audit by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education have yet to be resolved." He strongly criticized, "This is the result of the Ministry of National Defense and the Paju Office of Education essentially neglecting their supervisory duties," adding, "They cannot avoid responsibility."

The press conference was also attended by Kim Byungjoo, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Assemblywoman Moon Jeongbok, Kang Kyungsook of the Rebuilding Korea Party, as well as the Joint Countermeasures Committee for Normalization of Hanmin High School, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, the Gyeonggi Education Solidarity, and other civil society organizations.

The Joint Countermeasures Committee, in its press statement, revealed, "Although Hanmin High School was established with taxpayers’ money, it has become a hotbed for the 'three major private school corruption practices' by exploiting its status as a private school," and exposed specific cases such as: allegations of sexual harassment by teachers, improper hiring of staff, embezzlement of public funds, operation of illegal smoking rooms on campus, and exclusive meal service contracts and improper receipt of donations from specific vendors. The committee particularly criticized, "Retaliatory disciplinary actions and lawsuits have been taken against internal whistleblowers, and the school has completely lost its ability to self-correct."

Assemblyman Kim recalled his experience as Chair of the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Education Committee, where he exposed corruption at Hana High School, dispatched government-appointed directors to Soongsil High School, reinstated a whistleblower teacher at Donggu Marketing High School, and succeeded in converting Seoul Dawon School into a public institution. He stated, "The Hanmin High School incident is not simply a matter of uncovering corruption, but a critical test that requires institutional normalization."

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Kim emphasized, "The corruption at Hanmin High School is not a mere deviation, but a structural problem that has undermined the public nature of education," and declared, "I will rectify the accounting fraud and corruption in the education field that have betrayed the public’s trust. To protect students’ right to study and the public nature of education, I will ensure Hanmin High School is converted into a public institution."