"'Day of Stopping Public Education' Deemed Illegal... Teachers' Cell Phone Locations Tracked"

Current Teacher MBC Radio Interview
"Discretionary School Closure is a Matter Decided by the Principal"

The Ministry of Education has threatened to strictly respond by defining participation in the 'Public Education Stop Day' as an illegal act, while an active teacher criticized, saying, "The Ministry of Education suddenly designated this day as illegal, causing confusion."

Teacher A, who announced participation in the 'Public Education Stop Day' to commemorate the 49th-day memorial service of a teacher who passed away at Seoul Seoi Elementary School, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the 4th and said, "In fact, whenever there was a voluntary closure day, we could support each other and proceed without problems."

Earlier, the Ministry of Education warned that school principals who forcibly implement temporary closures or teachers who use annual leave or sick leave without special reasons could face disciplinary actions up to dismissal or removal and could be criminally charged. This is because the Public Education Stop Day is considered a collective action by teachers infringing on students' right to learn.

On the afternoon of the 26th, participants hold placards at the "National Teachers' Legislative Urging Memorial Rally" held by teachers nationwide in front of the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News.

Initially, the school where Teacher A works decided to designate the day of the 49th-day memorial service of the Seoi Elementary School teacher as a voluntary closure day, but the decision was reversed due to a Ministry of Education official letter.

Teacher A said, "They said they would dismiss or remove us and even file criminal charges, and they said they would track our cell phone locations, and it came as an official letter stamped exactly like that," adding, "It stated that they would not approve early leave, annual leave, or sick leave and that they would investigate all attendance."

Teacher A said, "After the Ministry of Education's official letter, the principal also said it was difficult to handle and even choked up, and we naturally said we couldn't do that and wouldn't impose such burdens, so we decided to participate by taking annual and sick leave individually, each taking responsibility," adding, "Originally, we wanted to comfort each other who were hurt with one heart and one mind, but reversing this decision seems to have caused many visible and invisible wounds."

Regarding the Ministry of Education's position that it could infringe on students' right to learn, Teacher A pointed out, "In fact, according to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, voluntary closure is only allowed in urgent situations such as natural disasters, and the decision is not actually made by the Ministry of Education," adding, "It is a matter decided by the school principal after gathering opinions from school members."

Teacher A expressed concern about the Ministry of Education's tough response policy but explained the reason for participating in the 'Public Education Stop Day.' He said, "What has really changed in the two months since the death of the Seoi Elementary School teacher?" and added, "There is no sign that the Ministry of Education will accept the hearts and opinions of on-site teachers; it just politically exploits the situation, and looking at the measures, I feel very frustrated."

He continued, "I have doubts about whether the measures are effective, and although the words sound plausible, there is no budget or manpower support to implement them, and ultimately, the work returns to the teachers," adding, "Because I am not confident that things will improve, I think we need to raise our voices more, watch closely, and demand participation from on-site teachers."

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