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Staff reporter
A lawmaker called for stricter visa regulations for native English teachers in a bid to root out sexual violence and harassment of minors.
Rep. Choi Young-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party said that education authorities should better screen E-2 or English teaching visa holders for drug use and past criminal records.
The lawmaker proposed a bill last year that would subject native English teachers to a stricter screening process when they are recruited but the bill is still pending at the National Assembly. She said the bill should be passed as soon as possible.
"With the government's English immersion programs, the demand for native English speakers is increasing, but there is no system to screen out inappropriate teachers and properly manage them," she said.
Referring to data from the National Policy Agency, Choi said the number of foreign English teachers, caught for theft, drug, violence and rape, reached 274 over the past three years.
Recently, a native English teacher, suspected of having sexually harassed children, resigned and left for Japan before the police could question him. Although the man who taught English at a primary school in Daegu denied the allegations, additional allegations have been made by parents and children.
Choi pointed out that teachers committing sex crimes have been subject to rather lighter punishment and some of them were able to obtain teaching positions again at other schools or private language institutes, which are called hagwon in Korea.
"The bill is aimed at closing loopholes in current regulations involving E-2 visa holders," she said. "By obliging them to present criminal and drug test results that were issued less than one month from when they apply for teaching positions, schools and hagwon will be able to exclude native English speakers who were caught for taking drugs or sexually harassing children."
In the meantime, some native English teachers have complained about the lawmaker's move. A group of native English speakers recently filed a complaint with the nation's human rights agency, insisting that the current visa regulations are based on prejudice and bias against native English teachers.
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