By Bahk Eun-ji
The Ministry of Education (MOE) ordered publishers to lower the prices of textbooks for primary and secondary schools, Thursday.
Publishers, however, refused to accept the demand, and the dispute has left students taking classes without textbooks although the new semester started almost four weeks ago.
In addition, the Korea Authorized and Approved Textbook Association (KAAT) stopped publishing textbooks from March 19, saying it will continue the stoppage until the ministry sets "a reasonable price."
The MOE ordered the average price of 99 textbooks for high schools to be cut by 44 percent to 5,560 won from 9,991; and for elementary schools by 34.8 percent to 4,493 won.
The ministry revised the Regulations on Curriculum Books last month so that the education minister can order price adjustments if they are deemed to have been unfairly set.
Before the revision, KAAT members didn't have to follow the suggestions.
"Some companies raised the price based unfairly. We screened accounting documents they submitted and decided to order the price adjustment," said Cho Jae-ik, a deputy manager of the textbook planning department at the MOE.
Cho said the companies should supply textbooks at prices set by the ministry as soon as possible to avoid penalizing students.
The ministry said it will revoke the licenses of all non-compliant publishers.
KAAT said companies have made huge investments in the development of textbooks under a price liberalization policy during the former President Lee Myung-bak administration.
It is seeking to raise the average price for a textbook by 73 percent from last year.
KAAT said the price ordered by the ministry is only half the production cost and so it should not change its policy.
"We cannot accept the order. We will not provide textbooks and will take legal steps against the ministry," a KAAT official said.
KAAT, established in 1982, is an association of about 90 publishing companies including Kyohak, Geumsung Publishing, Neung Yule Education and Mirae N.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) ordered publishers to lower the prices of textbooks for primary and secondary schools, Thursday.
Publishers, however, refused to accept the demand, and the dispute has left students taking classes without textbooks although the new semester started almost four weeks ago.
In addition, the Korea Authorized and Approved Textbook Association (KAAT) stopped publishing textbooks from March 19, saying it will continue the stoppage until the ministry sets "a reasonable price."
The MOE ordered the average price of 99 textbooks for high schools to be cut by 44 percent to 5,560 won from 9,991; and for elementary schools by 34.8 percent to 4,493 won.
The ministry revised the Regulations on Curriculum Books last month so that the education minister can order price adjustments if they are deemed to have been unfairly set.
Before the revision, KAAT members didn't have to follow the suggestions.
"Some companies raised the price based unfairly. We screened accounting documents they submitted and decided to order the price adjustment," said Cho Jae-ik, a deputy manager of the textbook planning department at the MOE.
Cho said the companies should supply textbooks at prices set by the ministry as soon as possible to avoid penalizing students.
The ministry said it will revoke the licenses of all non-compliant publishers.
KAAT said companies have made huge investments in the development of textbooks under a price liberalization policy during the former President Lee Myung-bak administration.
It is seeking to raise the average price for a textbook by 73 percent from last year.
KAAT said the price ordered by the ministry is only half the production cost and so it should not change its policy.
"We cannot accept the order. We will not provide textbooks and will take legal steps against the ministry," a KAAT official said.
KAAT, established in 1982, is an association of about 90 publishing companies including Kyohak, Geumsung Publishing, Neung Yule Education and Mirae N.
