Prime Minister Han Duck-soo: "Education Problems Cannot Be Solved Without Firm Teacher Authority"

Press Briefing at Government Sejong Complex on the 26th

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo emphasized that “this government recognizes that problems occurring in the education field cannot be resolved without firm teacher authority.”

At a press conference held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 26th, Prime Minister Han addressed the recent controversy over violations of teacher authority. He stated, “We will revise the curriculum to establish teacher authority and enable teachers to act properly,” adding, “The related law was difficultly passed by the National Assembly at the end of last year, and the President has also instructed the creation of official notifications.”

Recently, at Seo-i Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul, a teacher belonging to the school took an extreme step. There were suspicions that the teacher was harassed by some parents with excessive complaints. In response, voices calling for institutional improvements to restore teacher authority have emerged from political circles and teacher organizations.

Prime Minister Han said, “I believe teacher authority does not conflict with the rights that students should enjoy,” and added, “Rather, a proper balance must be achieved to truly protect students’ human rights.” He promised, “We will complete this quickly by August, and if there are any conflicts with measures created from the perspective of student rights, we will reasonably and properly adjust them.”

Regarding the disaster response task force (TF) ordered by President Yoon Suk-yeol, he said, “We will consider how to proceed at the high-level ruling party-government meeting on the 27th,” and added, “We will review regulations and systems once again, and since Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min has returned, he will play a central role.” On the 24th, President Yoon instructed, “As abnormal weather caused by climate change is becoming commonplace, activate the relevant ministries’ TF to completely reorganize the disaster response system.”

Prime Minister Han continued, “I feel that the matters the President continuously instructs are not being perfectly followed on the ground,” and confessed, “For example, the President has repeatedly instructed to respond preemptively, even excessively, and I have done so as well, but I think we could have done better.”

Regarding the current system under which the Ministry of Environment manages water, he responded, “For now, we have to do our best within the existing institutional framework.” Prime Minister Han said, “By the end of the previous administration, the last remaining functions of water management were transferred to the Ministry of Environment,” and urged, “We must boldly reform what ministers, vice ministers, and the cabinet consider insufficient and focus on disaster prevention.”

Concerning the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowering South Korea’s economic growth forecast from 1.5% to 1.4% on the 25th, he said, “The government’s biggest goal is to prevent the economy from falling into crisis,” and added, “This year, we plan to grow by 1.4%, focusing on maintaining soundness.”

However, when asked about the possibility of drafting a supplementary budget, he firmly stated, “The fiscal situation is absolutely not one where we can increase spending by borrowing.”

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