Complaint Filed with Education Support Office Alleging Teacher Violated Political Neutrality Duty
A student complaint has been filed at a high school in Gyeonggi Province, alleging that a teacher violated the duty of political neutrality. The education authorities have taken action.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on October 28, citing the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, a student at the high school filed a complaint with the local education support office the previous day, claiming that Teacher A made disparaging remarks about former President Yoon Seok-youl during class.
The student claimed that Teacher A made derogatory comments about former President Yoon Seok-youl during class and said that participants in rallies supporting the former president were either members of far-right online communities or followers of certain religious groups. The student also alleged that Teacher A posted content expressing political views and photos from political rallies on their personal social media account.
The education support office visited the school. They explained that insults or unilateral support for specific politicians or parties, repeated expression of opinions unrelated to the class context, and conduct that does not allow students the opportunity to respond, could all constitute violations of the duty of political neutrality.
The school has taken action. The principal gave Teacher A a verbal warning and instructed them to delete the problematic social media posts. An official from the education support office stated, "We will strengthen training and education to ensure teachers comply with their duty of political neutrality and maintain professional conduct."
Teachers' organizations have countered that the measures are excessive, arguing that teachers' basic political rights should be protected. The Gyeonggi Teachers' Union stated, "Posts that are extreme or promote hate and disparagement should not be uploaded by anyone, including teachers. However, if the posts simply express one's own opinion and are uploaded on a private social media account outside of working hours, they should be permitted. It is not right for the school to monitor teachers' personal social media and force political neutrality."
Meanwhile, Jeong Geunsik, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, recently stated, "Political rights are my conviction," emphasizing the need to guarantee teachers' basic political rights. In a meeting with reporters on October 24 to review his first year in office, Superintendent Jeong said, "The Republic of Korea is not only a highly developed country but also an advanced nation in education. In such a country, the most backward system is one that does not grant teachers any political rights. The more democratized our country becomes, the more essential it is for teachers to be granted their basic political rights."
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