AI Digital Textbook Publishers File Multi-Billion Won Damages Lawsuit Against Government

"Damages Caused by Downgrade to Educational Material"

Artificial intelligence (AI) digital textbook publishers have filed a damages lawsuit against the government.

The lawsuit claims that they suffered damages after the legal status of AI digital textbooks was downgraded from official textbooks to educational materials.

According to industry sources on June 25, about 10 companies publishing AI digital textbooks—including Donga Publishing, YBM, and Visang Education—filed a damages suit against the Minister of Education at the Seoul Central District Court on June 23. The amount claimed is reported to be in the hundreds of billions of won.

A student using a digital textbook. Photo by Yonhap News

The companies argue that they invested in the development of AI digital textbooks in reliance on government policy, but suffered significant losses when the legal status was reduced to that of "educational materials."

Previously, in June 2023, during the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, the Ministry of Education announced the "AI Digital Textbook Promotion Plan," stating that AI digital textbooks would be used in subjects such as mathematics, English, and information starting from 2025.

However, criticism arose that the textbooks could lead to a decline in students' literacy, and as a result, since last year, AI digital textbooks have only been used as reference materials in schools.

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