[One Year of the Lee Jaemyung Administration] Choi Kyojin: "Rote Learning for Infants and Toddlers Is Emotional Abuse... Need for Tailored Reading Education"

Press Conference Held to Mark One Year of the Lee Jaemyung Administration

"Cutting the Education Budget Based on Student Numbers? Hard to Agree"

Strengthening Teachers' Immunity for Safety Accidents... Announcement Coming Soon

Minister of Education Kyojin Choi stated on May 20 that rote learning-based education for infants and toddlers can be considered emotional abuse, emphasizing the need to create educational environments appropriate to developmental stages, such as reading education through picture books. Regarding the controversy over the local education financial grant, he added, "It is difficult to agree with arguments that the education budget should be reduced simply because the number of students is declining."

After announcing the achievements of President Lee Jaemyung's administration on its first anniversary at a cabinet meeting that day, Minister Choi held a press conference at Koreana Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, where he made these remarks.

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"Consultations with the National Assembly to Prevent Side Effects of Expensive Private Tutoring"

Last month, the Ministry of Education announced a "Response Plan for Private Education for Infants and Toddlers" and is currently pushing for a revision of the law to completely ban rote-style academy instruction for those under three years old.

Minister Choi identified the university entrance exam-focused competitive structure as the fundamental cause of the overheated private education market for infants and toddlers. He said, "We need to fundamentally question whether it is right to teach foreign languages by rote at a time when children should be learning the basic concepts of Hangul," adding, "Depending on the case, this can be viewed as emotional abuse and does not help normal growth and development."

He stated that, in order to prevent regulations on private education for infants and toddlers from leading to a surge in expensive private tutoring, the ministry plans to strengthen developmentally appropriate, reading-centered education through discussions with the National Assembly and other stakeholders.

He added, "I recently experienced a program at a kindergarten where senior citizens participating in job programs read picture books to children and shared stories with them," introducing research results that show such activities have a much more positive impact on infant and toddler development.

He emphasized not just reading and writing letters, but fostering reading activities that allow young children to naturally expand their language and thinking skills.

Minister of Education Kyojin Choi visited Haemil Kindergarten in Sejong City on Teacher's Day, May 15, participating in the parents' club 'Chaekmasil' to read books to children. 2026.5.15 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap News

"Education Budget Controversy Is Real... Discussing Rational Solutions"

Regarding the recent discussions on reforming the local education financial grant, Minister Choi stated, "It is difficult to agree with arguments that the education budget should be reduced simply because the number of students is declining."

According to current law, all 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide are automatically allocated 20.79% of national tax revenue each year, along with a portion of the education tax, as local education financial grants. Some claim that, while the number of students is decreasing, increasing tax revenue is resulting in an excessive education budget.

Minister Choi pointed out two issues with the local education financial grant system. He explained, "There are concerns about whether it is appropriate for the grants to continue increasing even as the school-age population decreases, and when tax revenue surges unexpectedly, as it did this year, sending the full 20.79% to the education offices creates confusion about how to use the budget." He added, "It is also true that the proliferation of campaign promises that seem problematic in practice, especially during election periods, is increasing anxiety."

However, he firmly opposed the idea of reducing the budget solely because of a decrease in the number of students. Minister Choi said, "I fundamentally cannot agree with the view that the education budget must be reduced simply because the number of students is declining." He stressed the need for budget allocations to improve aging school facilities and to respond to new educational demands in the era of artificial intelligence (AI).

Minister Choi shared his awareness of the issues surrounding the grant system as a whole, and stated that if further discussions proceed, "the Ministry of Education will actively participate to ensure that the most rational solution is chosen." He added, "We are reviewing various options internally regarding the best response, and when national tax revenue increases more than expected, we can discuss together how to utilize the additional funds rationally."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education plans to introduce measures to strengthen teachers' immunity from liability in the event of safety accidents during field trips, and to protect them from excessive complaints.

Minister Choi said, "We are listening carefully to the voices from the field and will do our utmost to ensure that teachers are not placed in situations where they bear unlimited responsibility for safety accidents. After another round of consultation with teachers' organizations, we plan to establish a system. There will soon be a day when we can announce the details."

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