By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Eighty-eight teachers will be dismissed or have their licenses suspended for orchestrating the issuance of an anti-Lee Myung-bak statement.
But the group behind the move has vowed to fight for freedom of expression.
The education ministry decided Friday to punish about 17,000 members of the progressive Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union for their joint statement denouncing the Lee Myung-bak administration.
Among them, 10 will be sacked and 78 will see their licenses suspended as well as face a prosecution probe. The number of those to be punished is the highest since the group was formed in 1999.
The government said the group's leaders orchestrated members for ``anti-government actions'' on June 18 in front of Daehan Gate in central Seoul.
``Their anti-Lee action is a disgrace to civil servants. It is a clear violation of civil servants' responsibility to implement governmental policies. Legally, they are prohibited from holding class action and political activities," a government official said.
Chang Ki-won, a top-ranking official at the education ministry, said that the education field should be a ``sacred place ― free from all political ideologies.'' He said the punishments ― mostly warnings and admonition for the rest of the members ― will be issued according to the law.
``I know that there will be some harsh resistance from these `progressive' and `unionized' teachers, but all workers should understand that it is to make people abide by rules,'' he was quoted as saying.
The punishment is expected to affect the movement of other public servant unions planning similar action.
About 130,000 people from the Korean Government Employees Union, the Korea Democracy Government Employees Union and the Korean Court Employees Union were set to express concerns over the rollback of democracy in Korea and demand changes in the key policies of the Lee administration. The statement was to be the first collective action since the three merged in late May.
But, after a warning that participants would face tough punishment, the plan was delayed.
The teachers union countered that the law never bans a public servant from expressing their political opinion.
Spokesman Eum Min-yong, said, ``The leaders will mobilize 400,000 to issue the second anti-Lee statement and file complaints against Education Minister Ahn Byong-man and superintendents for suppressing the freedom of expression.''
Liberal political groups backed the teachers.
``The government's measures are mere retaliation. The teachers, too, have rights to express their political ideas. We will fight to get them back to work too,'' minor New Progressive Party spokesman Kim Jong-chul said.
The group will hold a nationwide leadership meeting Sunday.
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
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