By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter

The education authorities will take disciplinary action against progressive teachers who initiated anti-government statements in June and July.

The Korean Teachers and Education Worker's Union (KTU) announced Sunday that the names of a total of 74 teachers, including full-time union officials and branch leaders, were submitted to disciplinary committees held by local education offices. Eighteen of them are expected to be dismissed while 40 others will be suspended from duty for three months. Those belonging to private schools will be disciplined by the school foundations, not local education offices.

It is the largest disciplinary action taken against KTU members since its founding in 1989.

Seoul was the region that submitted the most names with 18, followed by South Chungcheong Province with six. South Jeolla, North Gyeongsang and Ulsan each submitted five. Other cities and provinces had four or less.

The KTU has been gathering signatures from teachers, who by signing state that they agree with statements criticizing the government's unilateral operation of state affairs.

Authorities considered the statement a violation of the teachers' union law forbidding political activity and the public service law banning group activities, and filed a complaint with the prosecution against those who initiated the statement.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr