Teachers Joining 2nd Statement to Be Punished
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology warned teachers Friday that those who sign a second statement criticizing the Lee Myung-bak government will face severe disciplinary action.
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) has already composed the statement and plans to announce it Sunday.
``Teachers participating in the anti-government campaign will be punished more strictly than those involved in the first statement,'' a ministry official said. The ministry has already ordered regional education offices to stand firm against those it calls ``politicized'' teachers.
The second anti-Lee statement comes in reaction to the ministry's policy to punish KTU leaders who collected signatures from 17,000 teachers for the first such action.
The ministry has already requested regional offices to dismiss or suspend 88 teachers over the first statement and to issue warnings and reprimands to the others involved. At the same time, it has filed complaints with the prosecution against the leaders of the union.
The number of teachers disciplined is the largest since the progressive union, comprised of 76,000 members, was formed in 1999.
While the ministry claims that the teachers violated the Civil Servants Law banning teachers from engaging in political activities, the unionized teachers say the Constitution guarantees the freedom of expression.
Since the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun on May 23, university professors, religious leaders and students have issued a series of anti-government statements, with teachers joining in on June 18.