Seoul and Busan Offices of Education Abandon Autonomous Private High School Lawsuits... Ministry of Education "Respects Decision"

Private high school principals urging Seoul Superintendent of Education Cho Hee-yeon to withdraw the appeal. Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul and Busan Metropolitan Offices of Education have decided to withdraw their appeals against the cancellation of autonomous private high school (Jasago) designations, and the Ministry of Education has expressed respect for their decision.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education explained the withdrawal of the appeal by stating, "With the scheduled conversion of Jasago schools to general high schools in 2025, the significance of the lawsuit has diminished. Ending the lawsuit allows us to better respond to the new high school system reform demanded by the full implementation of the high school credit system in 2025."

They added, "There were concerns that prolonged legal disputes could weaken school education quality, potentially harming current Jasago students, and cause confusion among middle school students and parents due to uncertainties in high school admissions."

On the same day, the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education also stated, "Considering that all Jasago schools nationwide will be converted to general high schools in 2025, there is no longer any practical benefit to continuing the lawsuit," and thus abandoned the appeal in the administrative lawsuit related to the cancellation of Haeundae High School's Jasago designation.

The Ministry of Education, regarding the decisions of the two education offices, said, "We respect the decisions of the Seoul and Busan Offices of Education," and added that since the court's judgment pertains to procedural issues in the evaluation of Jasago operational performance, the planned conversion of Jasago schools to general high schools in 2025 will proceed as scheduled.

The Ministry further stated, "The court's decision on the cancellation of Jasago designations is seen as a judgment on procedural issues in the 2019 evaluation of Jasago operational performance. We will prepare without disruption for the transition to future education systems with metropolitan and provincial offices of education, including the 2025 conversion of Jasago schools to general high schools, the high school credit system, the 2022 revised curriculum, and the introduction of future-oriented college entrance systems."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.