Money and Education

Superintendent Slammed Over Campaign Fund Scandal

Seoul City has just proved it has a long way to go before attaining education autonomy as its first elected top educator has been implicated in a campaign fund scandal. Kong Jeong-taek, superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, apologized last week for borrowing money from operators of cram schools, better known here as hagwon. But no one seems to accept his apology because he apparently used an inappropriate financing method.

Kong, 74, won the election in July, beating his main rival Jou Kyong-bok, a professor from Konkuk University, who was backed by the left-leaning Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU). From the start, the first popular election to choose the superintendent was marred by political maneuvering. It was seen as a proxy race between the governing Grand National Party (GNP) and the opposition Democratic Party (DP), which backed Kong and Jou, respectively. Kong's scandal is likely to have an adverse impact on President Lee Myung-bak's education policy as Kong is regarded as Lee's point man to promote competition-oriented school education.

According to the Seoul Election Commission, Kong spent a total of 2.24 billion won ($1.7 million) on his campaigning. He collected 1.8 billion won or 80 percent of the funds through borrowing from cram school operators or bank lending on their payment guarantees. He borrowed 509 million won from his chief campaign manager, Choi Myeong-ok, who was vice president of the Korea Association of Hagwon. Choi is also the owner of Jongro M School, one of the major cram schools in the nation. Choi quit the campaign job due to public outcry that a hagwon operator was in charge of the electioneering.

Kong also borrowed 200 million won from Lee Jae-sik, a director of Soodo Hagwon in central Seoul. In addition, he borrowed 300 million won from a director of a private school foundation. Kong claimed he borrowed the money on an individual basis, saying that borrowing from his acquaintances was not against the law. Choi was his student and has known Kong for 40 years, while Lee Jae-shik is his brother-in-law.

However, Kong deserves criticism because he borrowed the money from the cram school operators that he should oversee. Protestors are raising suspicions that Kong has adopted pro-hagwon policies due to his campaign fund. He also received 16 million won in donations from 21 principals and vice principals from Seoul-based schools. How can he normalize school education and reduce ever-rising costs for private tutoring after borrowing money from hagwon owners?

Kong is responsible for the education of 1.48 million schoolchildren. He also has a personal management rights over 60,000 teachers and school employees. However, he is slammed for his plans to create two international middle schools, allow more elite high schools, and introduce English immersion classes. These plans apparently bring benefits to cram schools.

Prosecutors are investigating Kong's scandal. His election rival Jou is also being probed over allegations that he took money from the KTU. Two other superintendents of North Gyeongsang Province and South Chungcheong Province who resigned over bribery allegations are also being investigated. Education autonomy is on the verge of collapse at its incipient stage. On Monday, Ahn Byong-man, minister of education, science and technology, vowed to take radical steps to prevent the recurrence of such scandals. But, no one is sure if the measures will produce successful results.