Gwangju Education Citizens' Coalition "Dissolve the City Education Office Teacher Training Committee"

Press Conference at Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on the 20th... Demand for Superintendent's Apology

Claims of Some Principals with 'Misconduct Involvement History' Receiving Certification

A civic group in the Gwangju area has called for the dissolution of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education’s Teacher Training Committee and for Superintendent Lee Jeong-seon to issue an apology.

The Gwangju Education Citizens' Coalition is holding a press conference in front of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on the morning of the 20th.
[Photo by Min Hyun-gi]

On the morning of the 20th, the Gwangju Education Civic Coalition held a press conference in front of the city education office, raising their voices, saying, "Superintendent Lee Jeong-seon must officially apologize for the disruption in private school principal appointments and dissolve the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education’s Teacher Training Committee."

Last month, the city education office held a Teacher Training Committee meeting and granted principal certificates to 17 candidates nominated by private school foundations. However, it has been reported that among them were individuals with prior misconduct records, including those whose disqualification was confirmed by the Teacher Appeal Review Committee or those who had been denied principal approval since the previous superintendent’s administration due to academic misconduct.

The group stated, "Despite the academic corruption involving the leakage of exam questions within the advanced class being revealed as true through a 2019 SNS report by a current student, and despite K High School receiving a fine for failing to enforce disciplinary action, the school persistently pushed for the promotion of Deputy Head Teacher A, who was subject to disciplinary action at the time, and has now appointed them as acting vice principal and principal, leading the academic operations at K High School." They added, "The Teacher Training Committee of the city education office, which had upheld the unwritten rule that school administrators should not be involved in the four major misconducts?'grade manipulation,' 'sexual misconduct,' 'violence,' and 'bribery'?has degenerated into a 'committee granting impunity' under Superintendent Lee Jeong-seon’s administration."

They continued, "Furthermore, the Teacher Training Committee under Superintendent Lee Jeong-seon’s administration abruptly approved Teacher A’s principal qualification at the request of K Academy," criticizing, "They are making excuses such as 'there is no disciplinary record for the teacher, so there is no reason to deem them unqualified for principal on paper.'"

Park Go-hyeong-jun, spokesperson for the Gwangju Education Civic Coalition, said, "We want to ask the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, which has become one with the private school corporation that has refused to discipline teachers with misconduct, 'What kind of education do you want?' If our demands are ignored, we will fight to the end to ensure transparency in private schools and fairness in education."

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