Jeonnam Superintendent Kim Daejung Denies Preferential Treatment in Housing Rental: "Contracted at Own Expense"

"Pet Dog Raised by My Late Mother... Needed a House with a Yard"
Comprehensive Investigation into History-Distorting Books... "Official Notice for Disposal Sent"

Kim Daejung, Superintendent of Education of Jeonnam Province, has personally addressed the recent allegations of preferential treatment regarding a housing rental. During a policy inquiry at the 393rd extraordinary session of the Jeonnam Provincial Council on September 16, Superintendent Kim explained the specific circumstances surrounding the allegations, stating, "It was a private contract, and there was no preferential treatment."

In response to questions from Assemblyman Shin Minho (Democratic Party of Korea, Suncheon 6), Superintendent Kim explained, "I decided to abolish the official residence for the superintendent as it is no longer appropriate for the times, and I had to secure a place to live at my own expense."

He continued, "I was looking for a house with a yard for commuting convenience and to accommodate the pet dog my late mother used to raise, but it was not easy given the circumstances," recalling the situation at the time. It was confirmed that the pet dog raised by Superintendent Kim's late mother was indeed living at the rented house.

Kim Daejung, Former Superintendent of Education of Jeonnam Province.

Regarding the process of signing the rental contract, Superintendent Kim said, "An acquaintance sent me a photo of a rental advertisement banner, which is how I found out about the house. I judged that the price for the 36-pyeong traditional Korean house was reasonable, so I signed the contract under those conditions." He added, "I did not know what the homeowner's family did for a living," and expressed regret, saying, "I am sorry for not being more thorough in checking the details."

He stated that he took immediate action following the controversy. Superintendent Kim said, "I acknowledge that I was not meticulous enough as an elected public official, and I moved out of the house to another place last weekend," adding, "I deeply apologize to the residents of Jeonnam and the education community for causing concern."

Previously, Assemblyman Shin Minho remarked, "Just as the saying goes, 'Do not fix your hat strings under a plum tree,' one cannot overemphasize the importance of integrity. With the local elections coming up next year, it is especially important to avoid actions that could cause political misunderstandings."

In response, Superintendent Kim emphasized the consistency of his explanation, saying, "I learned about the related reports while on an overseas business trip, and my statement at the airport upon returning to Korea was the same as what I am saying now."

Superintendent Kim also addressed the recent controversy over the 'Reebok School Books' issue. He explained, "Based on the judgment that the problematic books distort history and contain biased political ideologies, we followed the relevant laws and procedures, underwent review and resolution, and then sent official documents to each school instructing them to remove and dispose of the books."

He continued, "Due to concerns that there may be additional books that glorify pro-Japanese remnants or distort historical facts related to the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, and the Jeju April 3 Incident, we have launched a comprehensive on-site investigation."

Superintendent Kim presented several improvement measures to block the inflow of history-distorting books from the stage of school library book selection, including: ▲ advance public disclosure of books to be purchased on the school website (for at least seven days), ▲ strengthening the review by the School Library Development Committee, ▲ providing a manual for book selection, and ▲ operating a regular inspection team.

He also stated, "We are preparing standardized guidelines to ensure that problematic books can be quickly recalled and disposed of if discovered," and added, "We will make the comprehensive investigation a regular practice and establish a system in which the entire educational community can monitor the inflow of history-distorting books."

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