Acting President Choi Vetoes AI Textbook Bill... Gwangju Teachers' Union Protests "Abuse of Veto Power"

Choi Vetoes Bill Downgrading AI Textbooks to Educational Materials
"Gwangju Education Office Should Convey Citizens' Will to the Government"
"All Legal Means, Including Injunctions and Constitutional Complaints, Will Be Utilized"

Acting President Choi Sangmok exercised his veto power against the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which downgraded artificial intelligence (AI) digital textbooks to "educational materials." In response, the Gwangju branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) strongly protested, calling it an "abuse of veto power."

On the morning of the 23rd, the Gwangju KTU and the Education Citizens' Solidarity held a press conference in front of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, stating, "The acting president's exercise of veto power is an act that denies the learning rights of students and the educational rights of teachers," and condemned the decision.

They further argued, "With only about 40 days left before the new school year, the government's unilateral enforcement is causing serious confusion and distrust in the educational field."

On the morning of the 23rd, the Gwangju Jeonkyoroe and the Education Citizens' Coalition held a press conference in front of the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, stating, "We strongly condemn the veto of the AI digital textbook education material bill by Acting President Choi Sangmok," and urged, "Lee Jungseon, Superintendent of Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education, deliver the will of the citizens of Gwangju to the government." Photo by Song Bohyun

Regarding this, they pointed out, "The Gwangju Office of Education pushed ahead with mass purchases and forced rentals of smart devices without collecting opinions from the field," and added, "When various problems arose during the introduction of AIDT, they irresponsibly took a position of 'no opinion.'"

They continued, "This not only ignores the demands of schools, teachers, and parents, but also means that the superintendent, who was chosen by the citizens, is neglecting their responsibility."

They urged, "The city education office should not stand by but take proactive action to protect publicness and autonomy," and warned, "If the government forcibly pushes ahead with the introduction of AIDT, we will join forces with educational stakeholders nationwide and mobilize all legal means, including filing for injunctions and constitutional complaints."

Meanwhile, on the 21st, Acting President Choi exercised his right to request reconsideration (veto) on three bills, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which would downgrade the 'artificial intelligence (AI) textbook' being promoted by the government to a supplementary educational material.

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