People Power Party Gyeongsangnam-do Assembly Members Urge Choi Gyojin to Voluntarily Resign as Minister of Education Nominee

Falling Short of Standards for Morality, Fairness, and Political Neutrality
as the Head of Education in South Korea

All members of the People Power Party in the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Assembly on September 11 called for the withdrawal of the nomination of Choi Gyojin as Minister of Education and urged him to voluntarily resign.

Members of the People Power Party in Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly are urging Choi Gyojin to resign.

The provincial assembly members stated, "The head of education must earn the public's trust in terms of morality, fairness, and political neutrality," and added, "Considering the various controversies raised during the confirmation hearing, Choi Gyojin falls significantly short of these standards."

The issues revealed during the confirmation hearing included: a past record of driving under the influence while heavily intoxicated (blood alcohol concentration of 0.187%), controversy over violations of student rights, disparaging remarks about specific regions, sharing inappropriate posts related to the Cheonanham incident, thereby undermining political neutrality, and concerns of ideological bias due to multiple visits to North Korea and related statements.

They further assessed, "The nominee responded to most of the issues with repeated apologies but failed to provide concrete explanations or demonstrate a willingness to improve."

Jeong Ssanghak, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated, "Education is the life of our children and the future of our nation. The head of educational administration must be trusted by everyone. Given Choi Gyojin's revealed history and actions, he falls significantly short of these standards and poses a serious risk to the credibility of education in South Korea."

All members of the People Power Party in the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Assembly urged: ▲ The President must immediately withdraw the nomination of Choi Gyojin! ▲ The nominee must take full responsibility and voluntarily resign! ▲ The National Assembly must refuse to adopt the confirmation report with an unqualified opinion and fulfill all its duties to prevent the forced appointment!