Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education An Minseok: "Now It Is the National Assembly's Turn"... Calls for Revisions to Three Laws Protecting Teachers' Rights

Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Holds National Assembly Forum with Three Teachers' Groups to Discuss Four Major Legislative Tasks
Proposals Include Clarifying Criteria for Emotional Child Abuse and Promptly Closing Cases in Which Teachers Are Cleared of Wrongdoing

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, led by Superintendent An Minseok, called for revisions to the so-called “Three Laws for the Protection of Teachers’ Rights”—the Child Welfare Act, the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, and the Act on the Improvement of the Status of Teachers and the Protection of Their Educational Activities—to protect legitimate educational activities and guarantee students’ right to learn. The goal is to reduce the problem of educational activities being curtailed when teachers who are reported for child abuse face lengthy investigations and lawsuits.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education held a forum at the National Assembly on the 6th, attended by three teacher organizations—the Gyeonggi Teachers Association, the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union, and the Gyeonggi branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union—and called for revisions to the "Three Laws for the Protection of Teachers' Rights." Provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.

On November 6, the provincial office held a National Assembly forum calling for legal revisions to protect educational activities, attended by three teachers’ groups: the Gyeonggi Teachers’ Association, the Gyeonggi Teachers’ Union, and the Gyeonggi Chapter of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union.

Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education An Minseok said, “The education office is working to restore teachers’ authority, but the current system has its limits. Now it is the National Assembly’s turn. The three laws must be revised to protect teachers’ rights.”

The forum addressed four major legislative tasks: clarifying the criteria for determining emotional child abuse; strengthening the effectiveness of police authority to close investigations and of written opinions from superintendents of education; improving record management in information systems related to child abuse; and strengthening state responsibility for lawsuits related to educational activities while responding to malicious reports.

Participants discussed specifying the criteria for determining whether educational activities are legitimate and improving investigation procedures so that cases in which there is no evidence of wrongdoing can be closed promptly. They also proposed deleting related information and strengthening legal support for teachers. The forum further discussed establishing a legal basis for the stable operation of specialized personnel, including officers dedicated to protecting teachers’ rights.

Kim Minseok, director of the Teachers’ Rights Counseling Center, who delivered the keynote presentation, said, “Guaranteeing students’ right to learn is a core task of public education. To achieve this, laws and systems must be improved so that teachers’ rights are effectively protected.”

The discussion also included Lee Yujin, chair of the Teachers’ Rights Committee at the Federation of Korean Trade Unions of Teachers; Cho Yunseop, chair of the Operating Rules Subcommittee of the Gyeonggi Federation of Teachers’ Associations; Mo Jeongha, vice chair of the Gyeonggi Chapter of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union; Shin Hojae, a professor at Gyeongin National University of Education; Moon Nayeon, a lawyer with the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education’s Teachers’ Rights Protection Team; and Han Misuk, an educational supervisor with the team.

The discussion examined the system’s limitations, as seen in schools and during investigations and lawsuits, and considered revisions to the Child Welfare Act, the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, and the Special Act on the Improvement of the Status of Teachers and the Protection of Their Educational Activities. Proposals included clarifying the criteria for determining whether educational activities are legitimate, promptly closing cases in which teachers are cleared of wrongdoing, deleting related information, and strengthening legal support.

Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Ahn Minseok speaks at a National Assembly forum calling for legal amendments to protect educational activities, held in Seminar Room 2 of the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the morning of the 6th. The forum was attended by National Assembly members Seo Youngkyo, Hong Kiwon, and Baek Seunga, representatives of three teachers' organizations, and officials in charge of protecting teachers' rights. Photo provided by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education.

Seo Youngkyo, chair of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, said she would cooperate to ensure that the relevant bills are discussed promptly in the National Assembly. The provincial office plans to incorporate the opinions raised at the forum into proposed legal revisions and continue follow-up discussions with the National Assembly.

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