Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin Sparks Controversy Again After Liking Facebook Post Criticizing National Education Commission

Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin has sparked controversy after it was confirmed that he "liked" a social media post that directly criticized the National Education Commission's review of plans to expand class hours for first and second graders in elementary schools.

Minister Choi "liked" the Facebook post criticizing the commission, which was uploaded yesterday afternoon (September 3) by Kim Hyun-hee, former head of the Daejeon branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union.

In the post, the former union leader wrote, "After bringing the parallel use of Chinese characters in textbooks back to the table, the National Education Commission is now pushing the agenda for early dismissal at 3 p.m. for lower-grade elementary students," adding, "The commission is bound to become an unwanted outcast."

Kim also criticized, "The current pattern of activities by the National Education Commission feels less like a long-term design and closer to randomly tossing out agendas and gauging public reaction."

Minister Choi was previously embroiled in controversy for violating political neutrality obligations after "liking" a Facebook post supporting a single progressive candidate ahead of the Sejong City Superintendent of Education election last June.

(Photo: Captured from the Facebook page of former Daejeon Teachers Union head Kim Hyun-hee, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.