The police have launched an investigation into allegations that the conservative education group ReBox School attempted to manipulate presidential election public opinion through comments. The police assigned the case on the same day that the Democratic Party of Korea urged the investigation, citing a report from an online media outlet.
On the 1st, the Cyber Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated that it had assigned the allegations related to ReBox School to Cyber Investigation Team 2.
ReBox School is a company established in 2017. It is an acronym for 'Lee Seung-man and Park Chung-hee School' and was created to provide history education supporting the two former presidents to students.
Earlier, the online media outlet Newstapa reported that on the 30th of last month, ReBox School had recruited a comment team called 'Army of Free Fingers Saving the Country' (Jasongun) by offering to issue instructor certificates for Never Spring School. It was also claimed that members of this comment team distorted extreme right education to elementary school students while working as after-school instructors at Never Spring School.
Never Spring School is a policy introduced by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. It combines existing elementary school care classes and after-school programs. According to the Ministry of Education, Son Hyo-sook, the representative of ReBox School, suggested collaboration on programs in science and arts to Seoul National University of Education, which operates Never Spring School under the name 'Korea Never Spring Education Association.' ReBox School reportedly signed a business agreement with Seoul National University of Education and sent instructors from ReBox School to conduct classes in 10 elementary schools in the Seoul area.
The Ministry of Education stated, 'The instructor certificates issued by ReBox School are of a private qualification called "Creative Experience Activity Instructor."' It also noted that 'it does not directly affect the hiring of Never Spring School instructors.' Furthermore, it mentioned, 'The issuance of this certificate is not related to the Ministry of Education and is managed by the Korea Educational Consulting Research Institute.'
On that day, Democratic Party of Korea members Yoon Geon-young, Kim Seong-hoe, and Chae Hyun-il from the Public Administration and Security Committee, along with Basic Income Party floor leader Yoon Hye-in, met with acting chief of the Korean National Police Agency, Lee Ho-young, at the police station in Seocho-gu. After the meeting, Representative Yoon told the press, 'I requested a thorough investigation into the allegations related to ReBox School.' In response, the acting chief reportedly stated that 'all available resources would be mobilized for the investigation.'
Meanwhile, the Korean National Teachers Union (KNUT) issued a statement condemning the Ministry of Education for allowing the entry of extreme right political organizations into Never Spring School, and called for a comprehensive investigation of instructor training institutions and the complete abolition of the Never Spring School policy.