People Power Party Gyeongnam Lawmakers Urge Choi Gyojin to Voluntarily Step Down as Education Minister Nominee

Members of the People Power Party from the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly have called for Education Minister nominee Choi Gyojin to voluntarily withdraw, citing controversies over drunk driving, student assault, and political bias.

On September 11, the assembly members held a press conference in front of the provincial assembly entrance, demanding, "The Lee Jaemyung administration must withdraw its nomination of Choi Gyojin as Education Minister."

They added, "Nominee Choi should take full responsibility for the future of education in Korea and his own conscience, and step down voluntarily."

They continued, "The head of education in Korea must be trusted by students, parents, teachers, and all citizens," and argued, "The complacent belief that the nominee's misconduct can simply be glossed over will undermine trust in the entire education sector."

Members of the People Power Party in Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly are holding a press conference urging Education Minister nominee Choi Gyojin to withdraw. Photo by Lee Seryoung

The assembly members referenced Choi's record of drunk driving, student assault, and political bias, all of which were raised during the National Assembly's Education Committee confirmation hearing.

They stated, "It has been confirmed that in 2003, nominee Choi was caught driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.187 percent and was fined," emphasizing, "This is a grave offense equivalent to indirect murder."

They also pointed out, "The confirmation hearing raised the issue of nominee Choi slapping a student," and questioned, "Is such behavior appropriate for the head of education, who should be the final safeguard of students' rights?"

They criticized, "The nominee has posted derogatory comments about certain regions on social media, shared posts downplaying the sinking of the Cheonan warship as a mere conspiracy theory, visited North Korea 16 times over the past five years, and encouraged support for organizations praising North Korea, all of which have fueled concerns about his ideological bias. The nominee's skewed views on the nation and security are fundamentally incompatible with the political neutrality required of the head of educational administration."

The assembly members stressed, "Education is directly linked to the lives of our children and the future of the nation," and urged, "The President and the National Assembly must restore trust in Korean education by making decisions that meet the expectations of the public."

They further demanded, "The National Assembly must reject the adoption of the confirmation report with an opinion of disqualification and fulfill all its responsibilities to prevent the forced appointment."

Previously, during the confirmation hearing, nominee Choi faced continued controversy over his past record of drunk driving while intoxicated, sharing conspiracy theories about the Cheonan warship sinking, assaulting a student, making abusive and politically biased remarks, disparaging certain regions, and defending Cho Kuk, head of the Innovation Policy Research Institute who was convicted, as well as former South Chungcheong Province Governor Ahn Heejung.

Although Choi has repeatedly offered explanations and apologies regarding these controversies, strong opposition has persisted from the People Power Party, as well as from teachers' and parents' organizations.

However, the confirmation report for nominee Choi was unilaterally adopted by the ruling party on the afternoon of the same day.

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