Na Kyung-won "Understanding Both Sides of the Ju Homin Incident... Regrettable Confrontation"

Na Kyung-won Mentions Daughter with Down Syndrome
"Special Education Teachers' Difficulties and Parents' Concerns Are All True"
"Need to Increase Special Education Teachers and Expand Training"

Na Kyung-won, former member of the People Power Party who has a daughter with Down syndrome, commented on the webtoon artist Joo Ho-min incident, saying, "I can understand both sides' perspectives."

On the 2nd, Na posted on her social media, "The Joo Ho-min incident has created a confrontational dynamic between special education teachers and students with disabilities. It is truly regrettable."

Former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won

Na stated, "The difficulties faced by special education teachers and the concerns of students with disabilities and their parents are all valid," adding, "The important thing is that time and effort are required for mutual understanding and trust, but under the current system, the number of students per special education teacher is an absurdly high four."

She then proposed increasing the number of special education teachers and expanding special education training for general teachers to resolve issues between students with developmental disabilities and special education teachers.

Webtoon artist Ju Homin

She explained, "If the environment is uncomfortable, students with disabilities are more likely to exhibit negative traits rather than positive ones. This is not different for non-disabled people, but students with disabilities can be more sensitive to their environment," emphasizing, "Providing a sufficiently good educational environment is very important, and the starting point is the number of students per teacher and support such as assistant teachers."

Regarding the expansion of special education training for general teachers, she said, "It is an absolutely necessary condition for the true inclusive education of students with disabilities who receive integrated education."

Na shared, "When my daughter was in elementary school, she always said, 'It's annoying when kids try to change my sneakers for me.' What she really wanted was a friend who would wait to change sneakers with her and walk to the school gate together while talking."

She added, "But the friends changed her sneakers to help and then ran off... Teachers cannot rely on goodwill alone," further stating, "I hope the current conflict becomes a hopeful labor pain leading to a better advanced society, and I am thinking about system improvements."

Former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won

Meanwhile, Na's daughter is known to have Down syndrome. In 2021, Na appeared on TV Chosun's 'Taste of Wife' with her daughter and revealed, "When I first gave birth to a child with a disability, I felt overwhelmed. I wondered if she would grow well and struggled because I didn't know how far she could go."

However, she emphasized, "We taught even the obvious things step by step. Giving opportunities is important," adding, "As she grew up, she was able to do many things. Children may be slow, but once they overcome that, they do well. If children are given opportunities and keep challenging themselves, they can play a good role in society. That will greatly benefit our society as well."

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