The education sector noted at the New Year's greeting ceremony that educators must strengthen the protection of teaching rights, referring to the educational power of Korea.
Kang Joo-ho, president of the Korea Teachers and Education Workers Union, said at the New Year's greeting ceremony and inauguration of the executive board held at the FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 8th, "Teachers are the educational power of the Republic of Korea," and noted, "We must protect teachers for schools to survive and for education to be properly established."
Born in 1986, Kang was inaugurated as the youngest president in the history of the union last December. He also stated that there has been no significant improvement since the death of a teacher at Seo Yi Elementary School in Seoul in 2023, as well as the death of a special education teacher in Incheon last year.
Kang stated, "I will do my utmost to protect teachers and save schools over the next three years."
Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, who attended the greeting ceremony that day, said, "We will continuously strengthen the protection of educational activities so that teachers can conduct classes and guidance in a safe educational environment." He added, "We will continue to reduce the burden of responding to complaints and unnecessary administrative tasks to create conditions that allow for a focus on educational activities."
Jung Geun-sik, the Superintendent of Education in Seoul, said, "I believe that teachers' pride is the most important factor in revitalizing our educational community."
The New Year's greeting ceremony is one of the largest events in the education sector, hosted annually by the Korea Teachers and Education Workers Union, which is the largest teachers' organization in the country. Key figures, including the Minister of Education and superintendents of education, as well as officials from government and political circles, attend.