Controversy is expected to arise as it was confirmed today (Sept. 4) that Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin "liked" a social media post that directly criticized the National Education Commission's (NEC) review of expanding class hours for first and second graders in elementary school.
Criticism is likely unavoidable that it was inappropriate behavior for the head of the Ministry of Education to publicly express agreement with a social media post attacking the NEC, a presidential committee that determines mid- to long-term education policies.
Minister Choi "liked" the Facebook post criticizing the NEC uploaded the previous afternoon by Kim, former head of the Daejeon branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU).
In the post, the former KTU branch head stated, "The NEC is putting the concurrent use of Chinese characters in textbooks back on the table, and now it is bringing up the agenda of having lower-grade elementary students leave school at 3 p.m.," adding, "The NEC is establishing itself as an unwanted nuisance."
The post went on to criticize, "The current pattern of the NEC's activities is closer to tossing out various agendas and gauging public reaction rather than designing long-term plans."
As of 11:30 a.m. today, a total of 91 people had "liked" the post, and Minister Choi was among them.
Minister Choi is a former dismissed teacher who belonged to the KTU.
Some within the education sector point out that while Minister Choi actively engages in social media activities to promote policies, he is instead repeatedly causing "accidents."
Back in June ahead of the Sejong City Superintendent of Education election, Minister Choi became embroiled in controversy over violating political neutrality obligations after he not only "liked" a Facebook post supporting a single liberal candidate but also left a comment saying, "Wonderful. Thank you."
(Photo: Capture of former Daejeon KTU branch head Kim Hyun-hee's Facebook, Yonhap News)
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