Difficult to Promote Enrollment at Age 5... Presidential Office Caught Sending Note Banning Mention of Public Opinion Gathering (Comprehensive)

Instead of Directly Mentioning Policy Abandonment, "Practically Difficult to Implement"
Presidential Office Secretary Instructs Vice Ministers Not to Mention 'Public Opinion Gathering or Surveys'
Vice Minister Jang on Source of Age 5 School Enrollment Policy: "Review Proposal from Discussion Process"

Jang Sang-yoon, Vice Minister of Education, is attending the full meeting of the Education Committee held at the National Assembly on the 9th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education has indicated its intention to effectively withdraw the policy of mandatory enrollment at age 5. During a National Assembly briefing, a note instructing not to mention the Presidential Office's 'public opinion gathering and survey on school system reform' was also spotted.

On the 9th, Deputy Minister Jang Sang-yoon stated during the National Assembly Education Committee briefing, "I cannot say here that the (age 5 enrollment) policy is being abolished, but realistically, it has become difficult to proceed."

When Education Committee Chairman Yoo Ki-hong demanded a clear stance, citing ongoing confusion following the announcement of lowering the enrollment age to 5, Deputy Minister Jang responded, "The government does not intend to persist with or push forward that plan."

Deputy Minister Jang did not explicitly use terms like 'abolish' or 'reconsider.' There was also no mention of the previously emphasized public surveys or opinion gathering, which appears to have been influenced by directives from the Presidential Office.

During the briefing, a note bearing the name "Kwon Seong-yeon, Education Secretary of the Presidential Office" was caught on camera. The note read, "At today's standing committee, it would be best not to mention opinion gathering through the National Education Committee, public surveys, or school system reform in response to questions about the controversy over lowering the enrollment age."

Kim Young-ho, the opposition party's floor leader from the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, "If this is true, then the Deputy Minister is just a figurehead here, while the control tower behind the scenes is the Presidential secretaries."

On the 9th, during the National Assembly Education Committee's work report, a note with the name "Jang Sang-yeon, Presidential Office Education Secretary" held by Vice Minister of Education Jang Sang-yoon was captured by media cameras. (Photo by Yonhap News)

In response, Deputy Minister Jang explained, "I received opinions or memos, but those are just (Secretary Kwon's) views, and I can make my own judgment and respond accordingly."

He added, "There was no opportunity for communication and time was tight, so it seems this opinion was given to me in a memo beforehand. The briefing is a part of consultation with the Presidential Office, so they conveyed their opinions, but I am responsible for the answers."

When asked whose idea the age 5 enrollment policy originated from, Deputy Minister Jang reiterated, "It was a proposal that came up during the discussion process."

He also explained the background of including the age 5 enrollment policy in the Ministry of Education's presidential briefing.

Deputy Minister Jang said, "The proposal to lower the enrollment age for first grade of elementary school was reported as one suggestion during the briefing, and the content was to officially start social discussions on the matter. However, during the briefing, it was reported as if the policy was confirmed to be implemented, causing misunderstandings. We tried to correct this in various ways, but it was very difficult afterward."

In response to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Byung-wook's question that the government should accelerate the integration of kindergarten and daycare and the implementation of full-day elementary schools to make up for this controversy, he said, "We will promptly proceed with pilot projects for full-day schools and the integration of kindergarten and daycare."

Regarding the sudden appearance of the policy to abolish foreign language high schools during the briefing, he said, "The word 'abolish foreign language high schools' was not included in the presidential briefing," and hesitated, adding, "It came up during the briefing process in response to a reporter's question..."

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